Team LNTC
by JamesFames
Summary: A trickster, a necromancer, a storyteller, and a soldier with demons from their pasts are brought together for a single purpose; save the world of Revenant from the creatures of Grimm. Can these four individuals put aside their differences to save the ones they hold dear? (Cover image by MarloMora on Deviantart)
1. The Trickster Trailer

**This time, I thought I'd try something different and try my hand at a RWBY story. For the longest time, I never watched it, because it never piqued my interest. But I've read some good stories on fan fiction and started watching a bit of the first volume, I got hooked and thought I could try my hand at it. This is just a little project that I will be working on, but not as much as my other stories, so if you guys like what you see and want more, let me know and I'll consider it. So, without further ado, let's jump into it! Be sure to review!**

* * *

Team L.N.T.C.

Chapter One: Volume One

The Trickster Trailer

It was a bright day in the City of Vale; the streets were bustling with people going to their destination, shops flooded with customers, everything seemed like a normal day. All except for a cloaked stranger who roamed the streets, passing by the shops and people. His beige cloak hid his pale face, jet black hair and bright blue eyes. He walked on, passing by several people who gave him strange looks, probably the fact that he was wearing a cloak on a hot summer day.

The stranger approached a bookshop and entered, seeing a hairy faced man standing behind the counter.

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade!" The man declared in a welcoming manner. "Home to every book under the sun!"

The stranger studied the owner carefully. Tall, clean-cut hair, noticeable sideburns along with hairy, muscular arms. He wore a short-sleeved quarter-zip burgundy and a black shirt with a visible white undershirt.

"Tukson, I presume?" The stranger said as he approached one of the bookshelves.

"That's right, friend." The owner nodded with a smile. "If you're looking for a particular book, you've come to the right place!"

"Really?" The stranger smirked as he browsed the shelves. "Do you have the Princess and the Thief?"

"Yep." The owner nodded.

"What about the Groom's Brides?"

"All three series."

The stranger continued on, asking about a certain book, only for the owner to reply with yes every time. After what seemed like ten questions, the stranger went into deep thought before smirking.

"What about…the Third Crusade?"

Tukson frowned, thinking for a moment.

"I'm…afraid I don't have that one."

"Home to every book under the sun?" The stranger chuckled, setting a book back on the shelf. "I think not."

"It's just a catchphrase." The owner defended, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's false advertising." The stranger countered, glaring at him. "You shouldn't tell lies to make a profit."

The two had an awkward stare off for a solid minute before the stranger broke into a chuckle.

"Relax, Tukson, I'm just pulling your leg." He said. "No need to get so serious."

"Well, you never know." Tukson sighed, before getting serious. "You know why you're here, don't you?"

"I believe I do." The stranger said with a smirk. "You want me to take care of some 'old friends'?"

"Something like that," Tukson said. "Let's just say that they've been doing some questionable acts of violence and I wanted out, now they're out for my blood."

Nodding, the stranger looked out the door window, seeing two characters approach from afar.

"Looks like some of your friends are on the way." He remarked, turning his head back to the owner. "I suggest you get out of sight."

"Right." Tukson nodded, turning towards his office door. "I'll be in my office. Try not to make a mess of my shop."

The owner walked into his office and locked the door. The caped one took a quick look around the shop, memorizing the titles of the various books, even taking note of various comic books near the front. Afterwards, he pulled out one of the books, turned a page and waited.

He heard the door open and glanced to see to people enter; one male, the other female. The male started browsing the books on the shelves, while the female walked up to the counter.

Peeking over his shoulder, he saw the male was a pale skinned, well-built young man with gray eyes and short silver hair that was partially slicked back while unkempt at the front. He also wore a slate gray and black two-tone partial-zip jacket that seems to cover his upper body, along with a pair of black pants and boots.

The young woman had medium-brown skin and dark-red eyes, her hair a light mint-green with a straight fringe and bangs, as well as two long locks on each side in the back. He also noticed that she wore two bronze-colored rings on her middle fingers as well as a pair of strappy high-heeled pumps. Her attire consisted of an intricate white top and an olive-colored crop top, on the back was what looked like a cut gem. She also wore a pair of white pants and brown chaps that end at her calves and an overlong belt, twice-wrapped, where she kept what looked like weapons as well as a single pouch.

'Either they're an odd couple on a date,' the stranger thought to himself, narrowing his eyes and carefully considering them. 'Or they're an odd couple on a mission.'

He watched as the woman walked up to the counter and rang the service bell and waited a solid minute. After not getting a response, she made to ring again, but the stranger decided to speak.

"I'm afraid the owner isn't here at the moment." He casually lied, gaining the two's attention without looking at them. "I'd be more than happy to assist you, if you'd like."

The woman looked towards her companion, who shrugged, before looking at the stranger.

"Are you the assistant?" She asked politely.

"Something like that." He answered; keeping up the lie, closing the book he was holding and setting it down. "Are you looking for something in particular?"

"Just browsin'." The young man called, picking up a book.

"Actually, I was wondering," The young woman said, leaning against the counter. "Do you have a copy of the Thief and the Butcher?"

"Yes, we do." The stranger nodded. "Would you like a copy?"

"No, just wondering." The young woman politely declines.

The young man closes a book loudly.

"What about," The woman went on. "Violet's Garden, in hardback and paperback?"

"He's got it." The young man called, holding up the book. "Hardback too."

"Ooh, the options are nice." The woman remarked.

"Eh, no pictures." The man shrugged, closing the book, louder this time, and dropping it back where it was. "Hey, do you have any comics?"

"Near the front." The stranger said.

"Oh, wait!" The woman said, narrowing her eyes. "What about…the Third Crusade?"

The stranger frowned, then thought for a moment, then walked over to one of the shelves and looked up. Carefully, he climbed up the shelves, he traced a finger along the sides, before pulling out the book he was looking for.

"Found it!" He declared, dropping back to the floor.

"Well, that's good to hear." The man smiled, closing the book loudly. "Nice to hear that this place lives up to the catchphrase. Otherwise, it would've been false advertising."

"Your boss shouldn't make promises he can't keep, young man." The woman said.

"I know, that's what I said." The stranger chuckled before his smile dissolved into a casual grin. "But you two aren't here for the books, are you?"

The woman's eyes widened a bit with surprise, looking over to her companion, who was equally surprised.

Suddenly, the surprise on their faces quickly faded.

"I think he knows what's up, Emerald." He said with a smirk.

"It doesn't matter, Mercury," Emerald said slyly. "It's not like he'll be able to tell anyone."

Mercury nodded, then walked over to the switches.

"You see, young man," Emerald began, a grin on her face. "Your boss had connections in an organization called the White Fang, but now he intends to leave. All the way to Vacuo."

The stranger averted his towards Mercury, who already flipped two of the switches, dimming the windows so no one would see from outside.

"But he wants out and that's his right." The stranger interjected, returning his gaze to Emerald. "What right do you have to force him to choose between the sword and the knee? As far as I'm concerned, the White Fang is a group of violent scum who act like animals. Literally." He gave her an intense glare. "What right do you have to punish him for quitting a group that no longer fights for equality?"

"You ask far too many questions, young man." Emerald shooked her head. "As for the White Fang, well, they have a policy; once you're a part of it, you can never back out." She then gave a sinister grin. "Now, his brothers in the White Fang aren't too happy to hear that. And neither are we."

The stranger looked to see Mercury smirk as he flipped the last switch, dimming all the windows. He could see that these two had no intention of leaving.

"You know who we are, don't you?" She asked.

"I do."

Mercury walked up beside his companion, his arms crossed.

"And you know why we're here?" She continued.

"Mm-hm."

Emerald stepped forward.

"So…are you going to stop us?"

He looked from one to the other, then smiled, as he closed the book he was holding.

"Yes."

Time seemed to slow as he casually tosses the book towards Emerald, causing her to raise her arm up to catch it, unaware of the throwing knife emerging from his sleeve. Time returned to normal as Emerald caught the book, the knife was thrown, but she saw it in time to bring the book up to block it, the knife embedding into it, she looked and the next thing she knew she was sent crashing into a pile of books by a palm strike to the chest.

Surprised, Mercury looked at the strange, who took a fighting stance.

"Alright, kid; you've piqued my interest." He smirked, readying a stance of his own.

Without warning, he jumped to deliver a roundhouse kick, but the stranger caught it, but notice what looked like a blast shot from his boot and went right past his head, punching a hole in the wall behind him.

"Interesting." The stranger smirked, his gaze turned to his opponent. "Custom-made?"

Instead of answering, Mercury swung his leg loose, attempting to deliver another kick, but the stranger countered once again, following up with a quick jab to the chest. Mercury tried his best, throwing his best attacks, but his opponent either blocked the attacks or countered with his own punches and kicks. Mercury tried to throw another kick, but the trickster was much quicker, stopping it with his foot, then delivered a roundhouse kick of his own, sending him flying into the pile of books with Emerald.

"Just who is this guy?" Emerald groaned, getting to her feet.

"Don't know, but I can't lay a hit on him!" Mercury growled.

The two got to their feet, staring at the stranger before them.

"Just who are you?" Emerald asked.

"I'm called many things." He chuckled, gesturing with his hands. "Trickster, deceiver," He removed his hood, revealing his face. "But you can call me Loki Greene."

The two looked at him and felt almost insulted by how young he looked, almost sixteen.

"Now that we have the introductions out of the way," Loki smirked. "Let's get back to business!"

Flipping the cape of his cloak back, his outfit consisted of a green and black outfit, a green jacket with a set of green and black vambraces over the sleeves, a pair of black jeans with green outlining along the pockets, and a pair of black boots with a pair of black gloves to match. The two couldn't see it, but the jacket also had a symbol of two snakes, circling one another to form an 'S' shape, and biting the tail of the other.

He then pulled out a pair of pistols with blades attached on the top, one was blue and black, called Castor, and the other was red and white, called Polydeuces. Flipping them around, handles of the pistols extended, the triggers retracting inside the rotary part of the weapon, the head of the pistol turning upward the bladed top extending, turning the pistols into a pair of katana swords.

Emerald drew out her revolver-sickles and charged, switching her guns into sickles and to a swing, only for Loki to parry the attack with his katana, then swung his blade, hitting her in the stomach, though her aura flared to protect her from the damage, then jumped and kicked her in the chest, sending her flying into a shelf.

Mercury sped forward and threw kick after kick, but Loki dodged them swiftly before kicking him in the chest with a powerful Sparta kick, sending him flying out the door window and onto the pavement.

Emerald got up and readied her stance, determined to complete her mission, despite her partner being taken out of the equation. Loki simply chuckled as his body began to glow a bright green color, and two copies of himself emerged, one standing near the counter and the other standing near the pile of books.

Looking from one copy to another, she glared at the one she assumed was the original.

"You think some clone is gonna fool me?!"

She charged at him, aiming to stab him in the face, but instead, to her surprise, she fell right through him and into another stack of books.

Getting up, she saw the copy she had tried to attack vanish, leaving the other copy and the original, both smirking at her.

"How did you-?!"

"It's my semblance; a form of self-copying." Loki declared. "I shouldn't have to explain what that means."

This was only partly true; Loki's semblance allows him to project his image and thoughts through a sort of astral projection, as far as he wanted, depending on the amount of aura he has. He can also utilize it to trick his foes into attacking a fake, even lying to trick his enemies into jumping to the wrong conclusions.

It's only natural, given that'he's a trickster; using everything at his disposal to get his opponent to make the wrong move, be it by provoking them or giving false information.

Snarling, Emerald readied herself, as Loki created more copies, the copies laughing as they surround her.

Enraged, Emerald just lunged at the copies, not even trying to figure out which one is the real thing, swinging her sickle, each copy dissolving, until her sickle was parried and she was thrown into the pile of books once more.

Getting up, she glared at him, then tried to activate her semblance. However, Loki didn't seem affected by it.

"What's the matter?" Loki taunted with a smirk. "Can't seem to win? Have to rely on mommy to help you out?"

Having quite enough, Emerald switched her sickles into their revolver form and opened fire, firing three shots from each, and all six shots going right through him, as he faded into nothing.

'Another fake.' Emerald thought.

Cursing, Emerald looked about her surroundings, paranoid, anticipating her opponent to reappear, when she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder. Thinking it was her partner, she turned around, only to be met with a vicious boot to the face, knocking her off her feet and sending her to the floor.

Sheathing one of his katanas, the trickster grabbed Emerald and tossed her out of the store.

Emerald, however, was steaming angry, about to rise to her feet to attack again, but Loki switched one of his katana's into its pistol form and aimed it at Emerald's head, forcing her to stop.

"Tell me, love," Loki said sternly. "Is one measly shopkeeper really worth dying over?"

Emerald glared at him, her transforming sickle in her grip, then looked and saw several people watching the scene play out, some of them in shock, others taking pictures.

"Em, we should go," Mercury suggested weakly. "We're making a scene and someone is bound to call the cops."

Humiliated, but begrudged, she nodded and helped her partner up, but turned her head to the trickster.

"You'd better watch your back, kid." She warned with a snarl. "You don't know who you're messing with. We'll find you."

"And I'll be ready." He replied with a smirk, not even worried.

And with that, the two rushed off, and Loki holstered his weapons and looked about the crowd that had gathered.

"What're you all looking at?" He called. "Go back to what you all were doing! This is no street performance!"

The crowd quickly dispersed, then Loki went back into the bookstore.

"I assume by the lack of noise that you've dealt with the problem?" Tukson asked, stepping out of his office.

"Yep, all taken care of." Loki nodded, before rubbing the back of his neck in guilt. "Sorry about the mess."

"Ah, don't worry about it." The Faunus sighed. "That just means I have to fix the place up."

Loki looked towards the door, then back to the owner.

"Were you really planning on heading to Vacuo?" He asked, curiously.

"To be honest, those two wouldn't be wrong," Tukson admitted. "Maybe not to Vacuo, specifically, but somewhere where the White Fang can't reach me." He then sighed. "Still, it's gonna take a while to earn enough to get a ticket to somewhere that isn't Vale."

Loki thought for a moment, thinking about the situation, then pulled out a small sack and passed it to the Faunus.

"That should be enough to get you on a boat to wherever you'd like."

Tukson looked at the pouch, then back to the trickster.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked, unsure. "Don't you need money for yourself?"

"Don't worry about me." Loki waved it off. "I'm just doing what I feel is best for the people."

"I wish everyone had your concept of 'doing what's best'." The Faunus shopkeeper sighed. "Well, I guess I'd best head home and pack up. As payment, any book you find that interests you here are yours if you like."

After Tukson left, Loki looked about the store, looking for some books that weren't damaged during the fight. As he looked about, a man dressed in black approached from behind, standing in the doorway.

"Sorry, pal, we're closed," Loki said, not even looking at him.

"I'm actually here about that fight earlier." He said.

Sighing, Loki stood up and faced him. The man was tall, having short black slicked back hair, a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes, wearing a black trench coat along with a pair of black military boots, a black T-shirt with an image of a silver scorpion on the front and had black and white face paint.

"Look, buddy; I didn't start that fight," Loki explained.

"No, but you sure as hell finished it." The man countered.

"How else was I gonna make them leave?" Loki asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, what were **you** doing, old timer?"

"Watching your every move, boy." The man responded. "Names Sting; I'm a Huntsman from Beacon Academy."

"Creepy." Loki retorted. "Also, aren't you a little old to be in school?"

"I'm actually a mentor there." Sting declared. "And from what I've seen, you have obvious skill. You could put it to good use by becoming a Huntsman."

Loki looked at him, listening.

"You see, the creatures of Grimm are growing in number by the day, and the White Fang are getting bolder." Sting explained. "The people need a symbol of hope, warriors, and heroes who can stand against the darkness and help those who can't defend themselves." He gestured with his hands. "What say you? Interested in fighting for a cause bigger than yourself?"

Loki went into thought. For the majority of his time, he wandered Vale as a sellsword, taking the occasional odd job around the city. As he traveled, he came across people who were affected by the tragedies; widows missing their significant others, children crying for their parents. Loki, of course, does what he can, but he's only one man.

'Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to just a greater cause.' He thought. 'Maybe I can do more good by joining the Huntsmen.'

Standing up, he faced Sting and grinned.

"I'm in."

* * *

 **And there's the first chapter! This took a while to work on, but I'm doing my best. This is the first trailer of Team L.N.T.C. so the next three chapters will be introducing the members of the team. After that, the fifth chapter will be the team's adventures in and out of Beacon.**

 **First off, I want to thank DenalCC1010 for use of his OC weapons, Eon Eclipse and Obsidian Oath, which I have made some slight changes such as the color, now in my version they are Polydeuces and Castor. You can check out the original creations on Denal's Deviantart profile and Youtube channel, I highly recommend you to go view his art and watch ALL of his videos, he's incredibly talented.**

 **And that's pretty much it. If you guys want more, let me know and tell me what you think so far and I'll consider it. Don't forget to review!**


	2. The Necromancer Trailer

Team L.N.T.C.

Chapter Two: Volume One

The Necromancer Trailer

It was a hot day in the desert outside of Vacuo. The desert creatures were stalking in the wastelands, there was scarce plant life. A desert lizard crawled onto a rock, bathing in the sun's rays. Suddenly, a bullhead aircraft sped past, gliding across the sand. After several hours of flying across the desert, the aircraft landed in the sand, the side door opening and several soldiers stepped out, followed by a young man in a black cloak over a set of blue robes with a black skull with smoke coming from the eye sockets on the back of the robes, with a dark blue long-sleeved shirt and black dress pants and blue boots with black lining and a black mask covered his face, as he was pushed out onto the sand, his hands held together by a pair of stasis cuffs.

One of the soldiers removed the mask, revealing the prisoner to have dark brown hair tied into a short ponytail, pale skin and blue streaks on his face, from his green eyes and down his cheeks to his neck.

Turning towards the bullhead, he could see an older man step out onto the ramp with an open book in his hand and a woman who had a displeased look on her face. The older man had balding black hair, wore a mostly black suit with a white undershirt.

The woman was tall with tanned skin and black curled hair with bright green eyes and wore a black dress with thin straps along with black closed toed sandals.

"By the decree of the council of the city of Vacuo," The balding man declared, almost with pride. "For the crimes of necromancy and other heinous crimes against the people; you, Nirnasha Hex," He gave an arrogant grin. "Are hereby banished to the wastelands," He slammed the book shut. "For life."

"This is a death sentence, Vegar." The woman stepped forward, growling. "There has to be another way!"

"Your vote was overruled, Minerva." Vegar scowled, then gestured to Nirnasha. "This dark magic freak is dangerous."

Nirnasha glared at the balding man hatefully, not saying a word.

"Now drop the cargo!" Vegar commanded.

"This is an outrage!"

Everyone looked to see a mid-teen Avian-Faunus step onto the ramp. The Faunus wore a sleeveless shirt that exposed the wings on his underarms, the feather red with a hint of blue, wearing a pair of cargo pants that exposed the silver talons at his feet.

"Pecker…" Minerva whispered silently.

"I am outraged beyond words!" Pecker said loudly. "Although I do have something to say!"

Another Faunus, a bear Faunus, ran down the ramp to his side. She was young with small bear ears on her head, sticking out of her orange hair, her purple eyes glaring at Vegar. She wore a knee length black skirt over red leggings, a black and white blouse and a pair of black knee high boots.

"Not everyone agrees with this outrageous decree!" Pecker declared angrily, followed by a squawk.

"Yeah, we want a recount!" The bear Faunus demanded angrily.

'Bernadette,' Nirnasha thought warmly.

"Oh, I see," Vegar growled, facing the two Faunus. "It seems you would like to _join_ him."

Bernadette glared at him viciously, but Pecker seemed to have second thoughts.

"Actually, we're not that outraged." He said sheepishly, earning a glare from both Nirnasha and Bernadette, as he slowly backed up into the bullhead. "Farewell, Nirnasha! Stay out of the sun! Drink lots of water, if you can find any."

Bernadette glared at Pecker, who retreated back into the airship, then looked back to Nirnasha, her expression fell into sadness.

"Nirn?"

"Go back to the city, Bern." Nirnasha waved her off, not even looking her way.

Minerva walked up to Nirnasha, reaching for the cuffs.

"I'm sorry, nephew." She said, removing the cuffs. "The council is too powerful. There was nothing I-"

"I know." Nirnasha sighed, looking down at the sand.

Minerva felt guilty, unable to help her nephew further. His way of necromancy was frowned upon by the people of Vacuo. This wasn't just simple communing with the departed souls; Nirnasha's semblance, the Spirit Caller, was that he was able to do more than contact the dead; he could manipulate them into ghostly weapons and use them for dark magic, making him stronger in ways that no human, not even Faunus could imagine. Thanks to his dark magic, Nirnasha was able to help law enforcement detain more criminals, and thanks to his gift, the Soul Gazer, he was able to record the crimes of his victims by simply looking through their eyes. Thanks to Nirnasha, the crime rate in Vacuo went down by a large margin and he was called 'the Reaper'.

However, when crime rates went down, and because they found his gifts in the dark arts so unnatural, the people started to fear him, even label him a monster, and that he was no longer needed to keep the city safe. Even Vegar was more than happy to amplify and use the fear of the people to try to pressure the council of Vacuo into casting Nirnasha out, even going so far as to label him a potential terrorist.

In the end, the people fully turned against him, labeling him a threat. With his father gone and his mother disowned him, it seemed hopeless. Regardless, Minerva wasn't about to give up on her nephew.

"Just stay alive; do you understand?" She said, putting something in the palm of Nirnasha's hand. "Someone _will_ find you; I promise."

Nirnasha looked at her with sorrow in his eyes.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, aunt."

Minerva leaned in and kissed his forehead, then backed up.

"I always keep my promises."

Reluctantly, she went back to the bullhead, as Vegar looked at Nirnasha with an arrogant smirk.

"May the gods have mercy on you." He said with hidden sarcasm.

Nirnasha glared at him with a vicious snarl.

"And may they spit on your grave." He spat back.

After that, the bullhead took off, leaving Nirnasha in the dust with nothing but the clothes on his back and the small cargo in the sand. He looked at the object his aunt had given him; a small circular item that was giving off a beeping sound.

'She gave me a beacon, hoping someone would find me.' He thought.

Smiling a bit, he clenched the beacon in his hand, but then heard a cough in the sand cloud left behind by the bullhead. As the dust cleared, he saw, to his shock, Pecker and Bernadette emerge from the dust cloud, both coughing a bit.

"Bernadette?!" He gasped.

"Don't act so surprised, Nirn." Bernadette said teasingly. "We both know that you wouldn't last a second without me!"

Nirnasha almost chuckled as he rolled his eyes. Sure, Bernadette had been there for him when he needed someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, someone he could count on. But when it came to fighting, he mostly was the one who did the majority of the fighting, while Bernadette coward from a distance. Still, that didn't stop her from trying to take the credit.

"Well, we've got ourselves in quite a mess," Bernadette declared with a sigh, her hands on her hips. "Now we've gotta get ourselves out!"

"Ah, what a team we'll make!" Pecker said optimistically.

"Well, there's no way we can go back the way we came." Nirnasha sighed sadly. "And even if we could, there's no way we'd be welcome back into the city."

"Then the only thing we can do is survive as best we can." Pecker declared. "And pray that someone who isn't from the city of Vacuo finds us."

Nirnasha glanced at the beacon in his hand, reflecting on his aunts words, then nodded to his friend.

"I guess we should get moving now." He sighed, looking across the sand. "But which way?"

The desert of Vacuo was vast and it was hard to get the lay of the land. And the fact that it's littered with abandoned settlements made it no better, and the Grimm creatures made the deserts a death sentence.

"We could always find a hiding place until we come up with a better plan." Pecker declared. "I've scouted the desert from years back, with more guards, however, and I found an abandoned outpost not too far from here. If we could get there…"

"Then we could just hole up there until help comes!" Bernadette finished, smirking. "Finally, you thought of something useful!"

Pecker glared at her, taking offense to her comment.

"Well, let's get moving then." Nirnasha spoke. "Pecker; lead the way."

Nodding, Pecker took to the skies, Nirnasha and Bernadette followed.

* * *

Several hours later, the trio trekked across the desert, before a settlement came into view. No doubt, there were no residences, save for the Grimm creatures wondering about, hunting for something to feast on.

"Looks like we have residences here," Bernadette said nervously.

"Well, it's time they got evicted." Nirnasha grinned, setting the small cargo box down.

Opening it, he pulled out an ornate staff, the tip of it sparking with electricity from a yellow dust crystal at the center of the staff. He then proceeded to walk towards the settlement.

The Grimm creatures were quick to notice, letting out monstrous roars, as two Beowolves charged, aiming to tear their prey to pieces. Once they got close, he swung his staff, Nemesis, smacking one of the Beowolves across the head, knocking it to the side. The second creature took a leap at him, only to be swatted to the side by the end of the staff. The duo got up; snarling at their foe, but Nirnasha remained unhinged. The Beowolf duo leaped once more, and time seemed to slow, as Nirnasha'a staff began to change form, as both ends of his staff began to retract, revealing curved blades, transforming into a glaive. Spinning his weapon between his fingers, he decapitated the monsters, their bodies dissolving into dust.

The remaining Beowolves roared and charged forward, circling Nirnasha, while Bernadette and Pecker keeping a safe distance. Nirnasha watched and studied the monsters carefully, then stuck his glaive into the sand, his body glowing with a dark blue color, and then he began waving his hands around, followed by the blue light, creating what looked like a summoning circle around him. Crossing his arms in an X formation, he then spread them apart, unleashing several spirits from the circle, which attacked the Beowolves, draining the very life from them, causing the bodies to disintegrate.

His enemies defeated, Nirnasha switched his glaive back to its staff form.

"Well, that was a no problem." He let out a sigh.

"Way to go, Nirn!" Bernadette cheered, skipping across the sand to him.

"With the Beowolf pack dispatched, we can use one of these houses as a temporary camp." Pecker declared.

* * *

And so the trio went to work, ensuring the settlement was absolutely clear of Grimm, before settling into one of the houses, a simple two-room house with a view of the wasteland and a fireplace.

After getting things set up, the trio decided to hold out until help arrives. Hopefully, with the beacon in Nirnasha's possession, that help will come much sooner.

After fortifying and cleaning out their temporary base as best they could, they decided to hunt for food. Thankfully, there were plenty of wild desert animals wandering about the desert. Taking her bow and arrows, Bernadette started doing some hunting of her own.

Not going too far from camp, Bernadette already scored four kills; a desert fox, a coyote, a Gila monster, and a wild horse. Normally, she'd be against killing horses, but the animals she was killing were necessary for food. The last one she was targeting a king snake, watching it slither across the sand. She then pulled an arrow from the quiver and nocked it on the string and pulled back, aiming the arrow at the head.

Usually, for most people, hunting small animals with a bow and arrows would be difficult. But for Bernadette, it's pretty easy, as long as it's not Creatures of Grimm.

She kept her eye on the snake as it slithered along; her arrow trained on it, then let the arrow fly, hitting the snake in the head and sticking it to a rock.

"And that makes five!" She boasted, going over to collect the fifth part of dinner.

* * *

Upon returning to the camp, Bernadette had begun skinning the animals she had killed, using some of the cleaned pelts as bedding and cooking the meat.

"Okay, foods ready!" She called, setting a piece of meat on a stone slab. "Get it while it's hot!"

The three ate their dinner in silence for a bit.

"You've done a good job with dinner, Bern." Nirnasha complimented.

"Aw, thanks, Nirn." Bernadette smiled. "Just doing what I can to keep us alive!"

"Yes, of course, you are." Pecker rolled his eyes. "Meanwhile, you're still too scared to help Nirnasha fight off the Grimm."

"I do too!" Bernadette pouted. "Sometimes. From a safe distance."

After they finished their meals, with the sun setting, Pecker stayed up to keep watch. Nirnasha and Bernadette were preparing the pelts.

Lying down on his pelt, Nirnasha looked to see Bernadette sitting on her pelt, looking out the window, a solemn look on her face.

"Bernadette?" Nirnasha spoke, moving over to her side, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I just can't believe the city hates us," Bernadette said. "I mean, we saved those lousy lowlifes!"

Nirnasha could feel the betrayal in her voice, disgusted by how the people of Vacuo treated her for associating with him.

"After everything we did, after suffering for the sake of those ingrates," She said in a trembling tone, tears welling up in her eyes. "This is how those bastards repay us? By casting us out? By cursing our names, calling us monsters?"

As she started to cry, Nirnasha wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"You shouldn't concern yourself with what others think." He said, wiping the tears from his friends face. "You did what you felt was best and that's all that matters." He then held her close. "Besides, I couldn't ask for a better friend than you."

"Nirn..." Bernadette said softly, touched by his words.

Suddenly, Pecker came crashing through the doorway, breathing heavy and panicking.

"Nirnasha, Bernadette!" Pecker squawked loudly. "Something terrible is heading our way!"

"What're you talking about, Pecker?" Nirnasha asked.

"I don't know, but it's MASSIVE!" Pecker exclaimed. "It's crawling underneath the sand! It's coming this way!"

The trio rushed outside and took a look, seeing something burrowing underneath the sand, going straight for their direction.

"What the hell?" Nirnasha couldn't find the words to describe what he was seeing.

The unknown creature got closer, then the movement stopped, the sand looking as though it never moved.

The trio looked around frantically, then it emerged from the sand like a torpedo. It looked like a massive black worm covered in bone plating, a demonic roar escaping its gaping mouth.

"Desert Demon!" Pecker shrieked, as the massive Grimm worm dove back into the sand, collapsing a nearby house.

"How the hell do we deal with something like that?!" Bernadette exclaimed.

Nirnasha watched as the Grimm monster destroyed another building, and saw how it swerved around a stone mound, unable to destroy it.

"Make a run for that stone mound!" Nirnasha commanded. "It won't be able to get us if we're on solid ground!"

Nodding, Nirnasha and Bernadette ran, while Pecker flew, the trio hurriedly made a mad dash for the mound, while doing their best to avoid the Desert Demon, as it emerged from the sand and engulfed another house, retreating back underneath the sand. The trio jumped up onto the mound, narrowly missing the Grimm monster tunneling underneath the sand.

"We made it, now what?" Bernadette yelled.

Nirnasha, however, wasn't sure what else to do. He only managed to deduce that the Desert Demon couldn't penetrate the stone mound, but he couldn't think of a permanent solution to deal with the beast.

Before he could answer, however, they looked to see an airship flying across the horizon, flying towards their destination. As it got closer, Nirnasha noticed the Vale symbol on the side of the bullhead.

"Looks like someone from Vale!" He declared with a relieved smirk on his face. "Someone must've found us!"

"About damn time!" Bernadette sighed in relief.

"I won't even question how they found us so fast!" Pecker remarked.

Their celebration was cut short, however, as the Desert Demon emerged from the sand once again, letting out a demonic roar.

The trio readied themselves, as the Desert Demon hooked its head downwards at them. The airship got closer and opened fire at the Grimm monster, gaining its attention, as it swerved its gaze toward it.

The side of the airship slid open, revealing a tall woman with white long hair and red eyes, pale skin and wore a shoeless black and white outfit consisting of a sleeveless shirt, a black undershirt with puffed sleeves, a dark blue cloak with an image of the head of a dragon breathing fire, a pair of black shorts and apron.

The woman looked down at the Desert Demon, then jumped, swan diving towards the monster, and started glowing a blue-green color, as she dove closer to the Grimm monster. As it opened its mouth, the woman shot right into its mouth, jerking its head back. Suddenly, there was a loud snap, then it fell over dead, crashing onto the sand.

The trio looked in surprise on as the Grimm monsters head cracked open, the woman stepping out as the carcass began to dissolve.

"And that…was awesome." The woman chuckled with a smirk, brushing her hair back as she looked at the trio. "Hey there, kids. Having a nice walk out in the desert?"

Nirnasha could sense a sort of energetic vibe from the woman; the way she walked, the way she carried herself, the tone of her voice was confident and tomboyish. In fact, her whole attitude came off with cheerful confidence.

They looked to see the airship settle onto the sand and out stepped an older man with graying black, spiky hair, dull red eyes, and a slight stubble along his jawline. He wore a red, tattered cloak, a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants and black dress shoes. He also wore a ring on his right index finger, two other rings on his right ring finger and a necklace with a crooked cross-shaped pendant.

Nirnasha also took note of a large-bladed weapon sheathed at the man's back.

"That was some reckless move you pulled, Corrin." He remarked, crossing his arms. "One wrong move, and you would've ended up Grimm chow!"

"You keep forgetting the extent of my abilities, Qrow!" The woman chirped with a smirk. "You know you like that about me!"

Chuckling, the man turned to the trio who were giving them awkward looks.

"Anyways, it seems we've arrived in the nick of time." He remarked as they approached. "You kids alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Nirnasha nodded. "If you guys hadn't come along…"

"Don't sweat it, kid!" The woman declared with a grin. "Just doin' our job!"

Nirnasha looked and noticed some scales shifting along her arm. He also noticed she had slit pupils.

"You're a Faunus, aren't you?"

"Good eye, kid." She chuckled, showing off the scales on her arm. "Specifically, I'm a Dragon-Faunus."

"Impossible!" Pecker exclaimed in shock. "A Dragon-Faunus are supposed to be a myth!"

"And yet here I am." The woman smirked. "I'm Corrin, by the way." She pointed a thumb over her shoulder to the man. "That there is Qrow Branwen; one of the most badass Huntsman I've ever met."

"You got names?" Qrow asked. "And what're you doing out in the middle of the desert?"

"I'm Nirnasha, and these are my friends; Bernadette and Pecker." Nirnasha introduced, his friends waving nervously. "We-I was exiled from the city of Vacuo to die in the desert. Bernadette and Pecker went with me."

"Exile, huh?" Qrow mused, rubbing a hand against his chin. "On what charges?"

"Vegar kept stirring up the fear of the people." Pecker squawked angrily. "He got the people to fear Nirnasha enough to pressure the council to get him sentenced unjustly!"

"I've heard of this Vegar guy," Corrin said with a frown. "Complete scum in the political world. Has a habit of sabotaging things he doesn't agree with."

"We've gathered that much," Bernadette growled.

"What were you exiled for?" Qrow asked. "If you don't mind me askin', that is."

"Necromancy," Nirnasha answered plainly. "The people in the city detested the very use of it and thought me a monster. But I used it to ensure that crime stays low, so the law enforcement ensured they left me alone. Now, because of false allegations of demon worship and Grimm attacks, they wanted me gone."

"That's terrible!" Corrin said, her eyes alight with fury. "How could those people treat you like that, after all you did for them?!"

"Let's not lose our cool." Qrow declared. "We were here searching for the signal from a beacon we picked up."

Gasping, Nirnasha quickly dug into his pack and presented the beacon.

"Right here!"

Taking the beacon, Qrow took a moment to examine it, the looked at Nirnasha.

"Who gave this to you?"

"My aunt," Nirnasha answered. "Minerva."

"I know who that is!" Corrin declared. "She and I were very close friends!" She winked at Nirnasha. "If you know what I mean."

Qrow thought for a moment, then stepped forward.

"Kid, I can't help you back into Vacuo, but I have a different solution."

Nirnasha turned his attention to the Huntsman.

"As far as I can tell, you've got two choices," He began, his arms crossed. "You can either; stay out here in the hot ass desert and risk another encounter with a Desert Demon. Or I might be able to find you a spot in a certain place in Vale. Just a chat with my friend and I might be able to get you in."

Nirnasha took a moment to think about what he said before realization hit him.

"You want me to become a Huntsman at Beacon."

"Bingo!" Corrin nodded with a smirk. "Of course, unless you want to stay out here..."

Looking out into the desert, Nirnasha was lost in thought. The only friend he ever had was his aunt Minerva, who did everything in her power to help him through the harsher points of his life. He never considered Vacuo his home, but his aunt helped make it at least somewhat tolerable. After a while, she wanted him to see the world outside of Vacuo, maybe find a better place that won't treat him like a monster.

'Perhaps this is fate.' He thought to himself. 'Maybe I can put my gifts to better use as a Huntsman.'

He turned and looked at Qrow.

"I never wanted to go back to Vacuo anyways." He declared boldly. "I've had enough of this desert hellhole for one lifetime."

"So you're in?" Corrin looked at him expectedly.

"I am." Nirnasha nodded. "As long as my friends come with me."

"We'll see what we can do for them, I'm sure." Qrow nodded, before gesturing to the airship. "Let's go!"

They got onto the airship and took to the skies, leaving the desert behind, Qrow piloting the airship, with Corrin sitting beside him in the cockpit, while Nirnasha sat in the back, Pecker sitting across from Nirnasha and Bernadette.

"Finally, we're out of that grueling desert!" Bernadette let out an exasperated sigh.

"I couldn't agree more." Pecker nodded.

Bernadette noticed Nirnasha look out the window towards the desert, then put an arm around him.

"Don't worry, Nirn." She said, gaining his attention. "Once we're Huntsmen, we'll be back."

Nirnasha nodded, leaning against his friend's shoulder.

Up in the cockpit, Qrow and Corrin were talking.

"You think Ozpin would really accept them?" Corrin asked.

"He accepted Ruby, didn't he?" Qrow snorted. "No doubt he'll find that these three will be of great help."

"Speaking of which," Corrin smirked. "When are you gonna tell her about that thing?"

"Maybe later, when she's ready." Qrow sighed. "She doesn't need to know about the Silver-Eyed Warriors just yet."

"I'm not talking about that, Birdman." Corrin scoffed. "I meant when are you going to tell her who her father really is?"

Qrow froze at this for a moment before responding.

"I…have no idea what you're talking about."

"C'mon, you know exactly what I mean." Corrin teased. "I mean, she looks like you, she acts like you, heck, her fighting style is almost similar to yours, and don't even get me started on weapon similarities!"

"She just looks up to me is all." Qrow shrugged it off.

"You can't-fool me, Qrow." Corrin smirked. "She's practically a small, girl version of you!"

Qrow groaned at this.

"But hey, no pressure." Corrin chuckled. "And besides…"

She then leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"I'll be more than happy to help raise her." She winked.

"You're not gonna let this go, are you?" Qrow sighed.

* * *

 **And there's chapter two! Anyways, I've heard of a theory that Qrow is actually the real father of Ruby Rose. This claim has been denied by the creators, but I think it's an interesting theory. She kinda looks after him, uses a scythe like him, she adores the guy, and it's been hinted that Qrow had a thing for Summer Rose and we're not sure if it bloomed into something more before she died. Still, I don't want people getting mad at me, so just so you guys understand; this is, in fact, an AU, but not much is changing, storywise, but just enough to make the theory work. Don't be too hard on me, I'm still new to the show lol.**

 **Anyways, I've introduced the N in LNTC. What do you guys think? I hope I didn't rush this chapter. If you spot any problems, you'll let me know, right? Right?**

 **Jokes aside, hope you guys are looking forward to more, be sure to review because seeing your reviews makes me very happy!**


	3. The Story-Teller Trailer

Team L.N.T.C.

Chapter Three: Volume One

The Story-Teller Trailer

On a snowy day, an X-shaped aircraft soared through the skies, heading towards the city of Atlas in the northern continent of Solitas. Inside the cockpit, in the pilot's seat was a tall, white-haired with a fair complexion and slate blue eyes. Her hair was tied up in a bun at the rear left corner of her head, causing her bangs to fall towards the right side of her face, and leaving a small curled lock of hair that reaches below her left ear. Her attire is navy blue, white and gray-colored, consisting of a white coat with a red brooch, exposed upper arms and black gloves. Her pants had garters incorporated into them.

Sitting beside her was an older well-dressed man, wearing a white overcoat, with a gray undercoat, black sweater, a red necktie, and a white glove on his right hand. His pants were the same color as his overcoat and are tucked into silver boots accented in gray. His hair was black, with some silver and gray areas, while his eyebrows are solid black. He also had a curious strip of silver metal above his right eyebrow.

"Ah, it's good to be home." The woman let out a blissful sigh, as they entered Solitas airspace.

"Focus on the mission, Ms. Schnee." The man, James Ironwood stated with authority. "We're here to find a vocal anti-White Fang advocate who's been very loud with his opinion of the White Fangs lately."

"So, he's bound to become a White Fang target, General Ironwood?" Winter Schnee asked.

"He might be." James Ironwood nodded. "So, by Ozpin's request, he's asked us to retrieve him. I don't understand why he wants him specifically."

"From what I heard, he has a large network of spies." Winter declared. "Apparently, he's been keeping tabs on every important official in every kingdom. Not sure how he does it."

"Regardless, Ozpin asked us to retrieve him, in order to keep the White Fang from going after him." Ironwood declared, before frowning. "But I don't understand why he sent _him_ with us, of all people." He then pointed a thumb to a figure in the back. "If it were up to me, he'd be in a cell right now."

"He's reliable and knows about how the White Fang operates." Winter shrugged. "Besides, he's been loyal to me thus far."

"Still, I'm not sure if it's safe to have a former White Fang member among us," Ironwood growled.

The airship zoomed through the clouds, before slowing down at the sight of the settlement. Towering, multiple building spread across, many people walking the streets to their daily routines.

The airship landed at the airport, and the two stepped out, followed by two more people; a man in his early twenties with dark brown hair tied back and his Faunus trait manifested in an extra pair of ears, with equally brown eyes and a scar over his right eye. He wore a red and black cloak with black gloves and boots. He also had a rifle strapped to his back.

The girl following behind looked like a young girl, with short, curly orange hair with a small ahoge on top that came down to her chin, and she wore a pink bow on the back of her head. She also had bright green eyes, light skin, and freckles, and wore a whitish-gray old-fashioned blouse with short gray feminine overalls, as well as a black and green collar with a matching pair of stockings.

"All right, here's what we have so far!" Ironwood declared, facing his three companions. "We're looking for a Faunus by the name of 'Turoc Amant'. He's a vocal anti-White Fang advocate and no doubt the organization will target him. At Ozpin's request, we are to find him and bring him to Beacon!"

"Yes sir, General!" The girl said cheerfully with a salute.

"Sure, not a problem." The man nodded.

"Let me be clear, Cormac," Ironwood said sternly. "Winter says that you're reliable, so I expect you to follow orders. Understood?"

"Don't worry about Patrick, General." Winter stepped in, putting an arm around Patrick's shoulder. "He'll be on his best behavior." She looked to her friend with a sly grin. "Isn't that right, Pat-man?"

"Only when you're around, Winter Wondergirl," Patrick replied, making her giggle.

"And Penny," The general went on, facing the girl. "This is your first official mission. Keep your eyes on the task and stay close to us, understood?"

"Yes, General!" Penny nodded.

The four went onward, taking in their surroundings. The buildings stood tall and there were several people who were simply trying to get to their destinations.

"Solitas can be a snowy place." Winter sighed blissfully. "But it's good to be home."

"It's a bit cold for my tastes." Patrick shrugged casually. "I prefer Vale myself, where the conditions are just right."

The four walked around the settlement called High Road, known well for its skyscrapers and being one of Atlas' biggest supplier of Dust out of all of the continent's settlements. The four went around, asking the locals about the whereabouts, only to receive vague answers or those who would straight up refuse to answer them, most of the locals being Faunus and the locals having a bit of a grudge against the Schnee family, every Faunus in the settlement pretty much gave the four the cold shoulder.

After at least an hour of questioning, the four were on their way to another part of the settlement, after another fruitless questioning.

"The Faunus here doesn't seem interested in speaking to us." Penny sighed dejectedly.

"It's mostly my fault." Patrick sighed. "Some of the Faunus here are well aware of my former standing with the White Fang."

"Don't take all of the blame, Patrick." Winter patted her companions back. "It may also be because of my father's unfair treatment of the Faunus."

Before Ironwood could respond, he was bumped into by a homeless man dressed in rags, barely enough to protect him from the cold, who then took off into a mad dash in another direction.

"What in the-" Before Ironwood could finish his statement, Patrick held up a hand.

"Check your pockets."

Confused, then turned to anger, as Ironwood saw that his wallet was missing from his pocket.

"HEY!" He practically screamed, turning to where the thief ran off.

The thief didn't get very far, however, when he was hit with an arrow to the shoulder, pinning him to the wall.

The four looked to see a Faunus step from the shadows, holding what looked like a repeater crossbow with has a carved wood stock and is adorned with brass embellishments. The Faunus in question was a head shorter than Penny, with fox ears and two fox tails instead of one; his shoulder-length hair was dirty blonde. He wore a pair if baggy brown pants with a pair of black boots along with a dark brown leather jacket, a pair of black gloves and a red shirt that split down the middle from the collar, showing off his chest hair. They also noticed he had a symbol of what looked like an open book with an arrow coming out of it on the back of his jacket.

Collapsing his crossbow and placing it in the holster on his back, he approached the thief with a smug grin on his face.

"I knew a girl once who could take every Lien out of your pockets just by smiling at you." The fox-Faunus declared, walking up to the pinned thief. "But you? You don't have the style to work High Road, let alone the Merchants Guild."

He held his hand out expectantly. Reluctantly, the thief dropped the wallet he swiped into the Faunus' hand.

"Might want to find yourself a new line of work."

The Faunus then struck him in the jaw with a fist, then pulled the arrow from the thief's shoulder, letting him fall to the ground in pain.

"Off you go."

The four watched as the Faunus approached them casually, then tossed the wallet back to the General, who caught it.

"How do you do?" The Faunus greeted, smirking, as he twirled the arrow in between his fingers before putting it away. "Turoc Amant, at your service. I apologize for my fellow Faunus' behavior. They wouldn't know a friendly human if it hit them square in the jaw."

"But you would?" Winter raised a brow.

"I would!" Turoc smirked. "What they need to understand is that we need good standing with the humans." He chuckled a bit. "They'd never admit it though; they're too proud to admit when they're wrong. I, however, am quite practical." He then crossed his arms. "So, word around the settlement is that you were looking for me."

"We were asked by the Headmaster of Beacon Academy in Vale to find you." Ironwood stated. "Your life is in danger."

"Oh, I don't doubt that." Turoc chuckled. "I've been getting plenty of death threats from those that do support the White Fang. Those who don't tend to say I should keep my mouth shut."

"They're just trying to avoid the issue," Patrick said.

"Exactly! They don't understand that we can't just sit around while the ego of the White Fang gets bigger and bigger." Turoc declared. "If we let the White Fang get too much power, they're gonna start wanting more! We can't let a problem like this go unchecked!"

"I suppose you have an idea for this?" Winter inquired.

"I know where their hideout is," Turoc smirked. "And if you guys help me in dealing with the White Fangs uprising here in the settlement, I'll listen to whatever you have to say. You'll even get to see me in action."

"We should help him out, General," Patrick spoke up. "Not only do we need to deal with the White Fang, but he may be willing to cooperate more."

"And then there's that crossbow of his." Penny pointed out. "He's quite efficient with it."

"Why, thanks, girly." Turoc gave a smug grin. "Angelina approves of such praise."

"You named your crossbow 'Angelina'?" Winter inquired.

"And why not? She's a beauty." Turoc smirked, looking over his shoulder at his weapon. "Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

Ironwood looked to his companions, all three of them nodding, before turning back to the fox-Faunus.

"Very well, we'll help you." He nodded. "As long as you hold your end of the deal."

"Perfect!" Turoc smiled. "Now, it would be best if you guys followed me. I know the exact route to their hideout."

The four went onwards, walking past several large buildings, the fox-Faunus leading the way and Patrick keeping a keen eye out for trouble. After walking several blocks, the four stopped at a safe distance from a large warehouse at the end of the settlement, with what looked like two White Fang soldiers standing guard out front.

"Looks like they're expecting company," Winter remarked.

"This won't be a problem," Turoc smirked. "With places like these, there's always an alternate route."

The four snuck around to the back of the warehouse, where there was much less security, sneaking in through the back door, finding many What Fang soldiers working about, moving crates and speaking to one another.

"Looks like these brutes are trying to get a foothold in the settlement," Turoc whispered. "Trying to rile up some of the Faunus against the humans here."

"They're attempting a White Fang takeover," Patrick growled silently. "Just so they can gain a foothold in Atlas."

Sneaking past several guards and making their way closer to the center of the room, hiding behind some crates, overhearing what sounded like the conversation between the commanding leader and his lieutenant. The commander was tall, wore the typical White Fang mask and uniform, but the sleeves were ripped off and he appeared muscular and his skin appeared as though it were armor plating, and his right arm appeared to be cybernetic.

"Looks like the head of this operation," Ironwood whispered, turning to Penny. "Palendina, record this conversation."

Nodding, Penny locked her sight onto the White Fang commander, activating her recording function as the commander spoke.

"Anything new to report?" The commander demanded with a gruff tone.

"Nothing yet, Rhinoc," The grunt said. "Still the same as ever, just getting a large shipment of dust."

"Excellent," Rhinoc smirked, but then frowned. "What about that pesky fox?"

"Still running his mouth, as usual, I'm afraid." The grunt sighed. "He continues to slander our organization."

"It's hardly slander if it's true," Turoc remarked silently.

"Well, he won't be a problem for much longer," Rhinoc laughed. "Soon, he and every other human of this settlement will fall before the White Fang and we'll be one step closer to dominating Atlas!"

"So, they're trying to stage a takeover, huh," Turoc mused, before shaking his head. "How cliché of them."

"Regardless, they must be stopped," Ironwood whispered. "Penny, send the video feed and the address of the warehouse to the authorities."

"Understood!" Penny nodded.

"Winter, you and I will make sure the police finds the location of this warehouse."

"Understood." Winter nodded.

"Patrick, you and Turoc deal with the leader, but don't kill him." The general finished. "We need him alive for police questioning."

"No promises," Patrick said through gritted teeth.

The group split off, Penny sticking with Winter and the General, and Turoc took notice of the seething expression on Patrick's face.

"You seem to have quite the extreme hatred for these White Fang goons." He remarked.

"'Hate' doesn't even describe how I feel about them," Patrick said silently. "They're responsible for not only the division between human and Faunus, but they're also responsible for the destruction of a settlement in Vale, and they showed no remorse for that! Like it was justified for them to butcher innocent people!"

"Sounds like they're beyond saving then," Turoc remarked.

"Damn right they are!" Patrick growled. "Now, it's time to take them down a notch."

"On that, we can agree on," Turoc smirked.

After the grunt left, the duo followed the commander to the outside out back, where the leader pulled out a cigar and started smoking.

"Soon, we can finally be rid of the human scum." He sighed with a smirk. "Can't come soon enough, if you ask me."

"Nobody asked you, dickbag."

Surprised, Rhinoc spun around to see Turoc and Patrick before him, having barred the door.

"Well, if it isn't the two-tailed big-mouth of High Road." He declared, before shooting a glare at Patrick. "And Patrick Cormac. You've got some nerve, showing your face here after you turned your back on the White Fang."

"What else do you expect?" Patrick growled. "That I would just sit by while you do the things you do?"

"First you, and then Blake!" Rhinoc snarled. "Because of you, the boss is on a warpath."

"At least she has a mind of her own!" Patrick retorted. "Unlike the rest of you bastards!"

"As lovely as this exchange seems; can we get things started?" Turoc interjected. "I'd like to be done with this."

"On that, we can agree," Rhinoc smirked, pulling out two large machetes. "I've waited a long time for this!"

Patrick then collapsed the stock of his rifle into a handle then pulled it out, revealing a black and gray saber, then the barrel of the rifle shortened, changing it into an SMG.

The rhino-Faunus charged, swinging his machetes, and the fox and coyote split up, Turoc firing away with his crossbow, only for the bolts to be swatted away by the massive machetes.

Patrick charged forward, firing away with his submachine gun, only for the bullets to bounce harmlessly against the rhino-Faunus' armor-like skin, then swung his blade, which clanged against one of the machetes, then Rhinoc swung his other weapon, which Shay barely had time to jump back to dodge.

"You ain't nothin', Cormac!" Rhinoc bellowed. "You've always been the weak link of the White Fang!"

"And yet I ended up becoming Sienna's top lieutenant." Patrick retorted. "Besides, you can't land a single hit on me with those sheets of metal!"

"On their own, maybe," Rhinoc admitted, before smirking. "But what if I do this?"

With that, a metal clamp emerged from his cybernetic arm's wrist, then slammed his machete into it, turning his weapon into a large pair of shears.

"I call this little combo the 'Bloodletter'." He boasted, rearing his arm back. "Allow me to introduce you!"

He then swung his weapon arm, Patrick managing to roll out of the way, but the tree behind him wasn't as lucky, having been cleaved in half. Patrick opened fire with his SMG, but Rhinoc turned and fired a rocket launcher, Patrick ducking out of the way, exploding at where Turoc was. Before he could call out for him, he was shocked as he saw Turoc floating in the air, his two tails spinning like a pair of helicopter blades, with a set of propellers out the sides of his boots.

"You can FLY?!" Patrick called out in shock.

"What? You thought these tails were just for show?" Turoc responded with a grin.

Analyzing the situation, Turoc prepped another arrow, took aim and fired; the arrow embedded itself into Rhinocs leg.

"What the-?!" He yelled in pain, managing the yank the arrow out of his leg.

"Piercing rounds," Turoc smirked. "They can cut right through that armor skin of yours."

"Basically, you're done for." Patrick grinned.

"You think this means anything?!" Rhinoc growled. "I'll still crush you two!"

The fight went on, Turoc getting a few arrows into Rhinocs skin, Patrick getting a few cuts into the commander. Turoc got several more bolts in; two in Rhinocs legs, two in his left arm, two in his back, and another in his lower abdomen. Smirking, Turoc pressed a button on his crossbow, causing the bolts embedded into Rhinoc to release a powerful electric shock throughout his body, causing the rhino-Faunus to roar in pain and bringing him down to one knee.

Not too far in the distance, they could hear sirens closing in.

"It's over, Rhinoc." Patrick declared. "Your operation's exposed and the cops have you surrounded. You're done for."

"That's where you're wrong, Cormac." The rhino-Faunus chuckled darkly. "Like the moon follows the sun, we will rise again. No matter how hard you try, you will never be rid of us. The day when the White Fang will take over will come, and when that day comes, you will regret ever betraying us."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Patrick growled.

* * *

After several hours, the law enforcement found the warehouse, with help from Ironwood, Winter and Penny, and the White Fang were taken into custody and the warehouse shutdown.

After the White Fang incursion was taken care of, the four walked with Turoc down the sidewalk.

"Well, today went well." The fox-Faunus declared with a grin. "That went a lot easier than I expected."

"Then why are we going down this way instead of to the airship?" Penny inquired.

"Because I need to pack my belongings before I leave to become a Huntsman," Turoc said.

All four went quiet, silent with surprise.

"How in the hell do you know that?!" Ironwood managed to speak.

"I have people in many places." Turoc declared. "Word gets around fast."

"Then you know why we came to find you?" Winter said.

"I most certainly do." Turoc nodded. "To recruit me to become a Huntsman at Beacon. Though I wasn't really expecting it, especially two of Atlas' top soldiers." He turned his attention to Patrick. "Not to mention one of Beacon's finest." He then looked to Penny. "To be honest though; I don't know about you."

"I am combat ready!" Penny declared cheerfully.

"I see." Turoc chuckled.

"I'm sure Ozpin would be ecstatic to have someone like you." Winter smiled.

"I have no doubt he will." Turoc chuckled.

The five continued onwards, before arriving at what looked like Turoc's house. Wasn't really much to look at, but it did well enough. Upon entering, it was clean, stacked with several papers and books. Looking around while Winter and Ironwood followed Turoc, while Patrick waited in the dining room, Penny wondered to the door leading to the garage. Opening, she looked inside to see a medium-sized, broken down biplane with faded red paint, looking as though it could fit at least four people. Looking at the nearby desk, she could see several pictures.

"I see you found the garage."

She spun to see Turoc, leaning against the door frame.

"I was curious." Penny defended.

"I can understand that, kiddo." Turoc nodded, gazing at the biplane. "I always knew that the old girl had that certain allure."

"Was it yours?" Penny asked.

"No, she belonged to my grandfather," Turoc explained. "He used to fight in the war, using this old girl. I've been trying to get her fixed up, but it's hard to find the time and the right person for the job."

Penny considered this for a moment, before an idea sprung in her head.

"If you would allow, my father could get it repaired for you!" She declared.

"Really? Your old man would do that?" Turoc asked.

"Of course!" Penny nodded with a smile. "He's an amazing genius and I'm sure he wouldn't mind getting it fixed up for you."

Turoc thought about this for a moment, then smiled.

"Kiddo, you've got yourself a deal." He declared, holding out his hand. "If your old man is a genius as you say, I can't wait to see what he does."

Nodding, Penny held his hand and shook it, though Turoc could feel a bit of force from the firm squeeze.

"Wow, you've got a grip, for someone your age," Turoc remarked with a slight chuckle.

"I've been eating a lot of vitamins." Penny quickly said, followed by a hiccup.

* * *

After things were concluded, they finally left the Amant household, arriving at the airfield.

"Alright, time to get moving!" Ironwood declared. "Mr. Amant, you may now kiss this settlement goodbye!"

"Trust me; I've been waiting for a good excuse to leave this place for a long time," Turoc smirked.

They started boarding the airship, with Patrick boarding last, but as he placed a foot on the platform, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw a familiar character, looking like a Bengal tiger, as she walked down an alley. As if on instinct, he stepped off the platform.

"Patrick, where are you going?" Winter asked, noting his hesitance.

"I…forgot something." Patrick lied, backing away. "I won't take long."

And with that, he took off, leaving Winter confused, and Ironwood suspicious.

* * *

Running past several buildings, Patrick arrived in the alley where he saw the person he recognized, looking around, but seeing no one.

"Sienna?" He boldly called out.

"It's been a long time since we last had a face to face like this."

Patrick felt his blood run cold, as he turned to see Sienna, his former leader, stepping out of the shadows. She was a Bengal tiger type Faunus, her orange eyes staring back at him, and her dark complexion with several tiger stripes tattoos and wild black, chin-length hair with an asymmetrical bob style. Her Faunus trait manifests as an extra pair of ears, and she wore four golden earrings on three of her ears, one each on her human ears, and two on her left Faunus ear, as well as a small jewel on her forehead.

She was dressed in a form-fitting black dress with light green accents on the rims of the outfit; the dress left most of her back open, had two long splits on the side which revealed a pair of black shorts, a shorter split in the front and a small squared keyhole. Over the dress, she wore a back-revealing red cape with gold accents, as well as green waist cincher with red rims that had a black belt over it, which fastened a green pouch on her right hip. Aside from that, she wore black stockings in conjunction with green sandals that had red laces which were tied to her calves, as well as a black elbow length fingerless glove on her right hand.

The two looked back at each other in silence, as if waiting for the other to make a move, before she spoke.

"Patrick. It's been a while."

"Sienna Khan." Patrick said, nodding. "It certainly has." He then frowned. "Why are you out here?"

"I was looking for you." She answered. "I'll say, Patrick, you are not an easy man to find."

"I should hope so, after ten years." Patrick retorted.

"And how have you been treating the weapon I gave you?" She asked, eyeing the rifle on his back.

"I've been treating her well." Patrick declared, patting the side of his weapon. "Fire and Fury has gotten me out of plenty of scraps." He frowned once again. "Now, why were you looking for me?"

"Patrick, I came looking for you because I needed an explanation from your point of view," Sienna said. "Adam claims you just 'went rogue out of nowhere', but I suspected that there was more to it."

"Of course he would say that," Patrick growled. "Always making excuses, trying to sweep his failures under the rug and try to paint me as the villain."

"Then tell me what happened." Sienna implored. "The people of White Fang are demanding justice, especially after what happened to Char, and they blame you for what happened."

"You want to know what happened?" Patrick said, taking an angrier tone. "Here's what happened; you remember how Adam had me and Blake steal that relic, right?"

Sienna nodded grimly.

"Well, he went off the deep end," Patrick said. "Several years ago, he had me and Blake set the relic at the center of the plaza of a settlement in Vale. After that, it caused a massive explosion. Those people, innocent people, human and Faunus…me and Blake barely got out alive. But the entire settlement was destroyed and its occupants were killed."

"Oh, God," Sienna said, covering her mouth in horror.

"And Adam knew." Patrick snarled. "And you know how he reacted when I confronted him about it?" He then roared. "NOTHING! He didn't give a single shit about the innocent people, both humans, AND Faunus, and he destroyed them both and completely ignored me when I confronted him about it! He just didn't care!" He breathed heavily. "And that's not all. After I stole the relic, I returned later to speak with Char, to deal with Adam, only to find the old man dead in his studies, and the White Fang soldiers blamed me and I was forced to run."

"Oh, Patrick," Sienna shooked her head. "I can't imagine how you felt. And the fact that Adam lied about how…Patrick, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry doesn't change what Adam had done," Patrick said spitefully. "Sorry doesn't bring back the people that Adam made me kill." He looked as though he was about to tear up. "Sorry doesn't bring Char back."

"Patrick, it isn't too late," Sienna said. "Come back with me, and we can deal with Adam. You don't have to run anymore."

"That's where you're wrong." Patrick refused. "I've found a new place alongside the huntsmen, with people who actually appreciate me. People who treat me like I actually matter."

"But I treated you better-" Sienna tried to defend herself.

"It's too late now." Patrick held up a hand. "I have my place, you have yours." He turned his back to her. "If you still care about me, then get rid of Adam. He's a bad influence that will lead to the White Fang's downfall."

And with that, he walked off, leaving Sienna with a hurt heart.

"Patrick, I promise you," She vowed. "Adam will pay for his crimes."

* * *

Winter, Ironwood, Penny, and Turoc waited in the airship until Patrick finally returned.

"Where the hell did you go off to?" Ironwood demanded.

"Had to meet with an old friend." Patrick partially lied. "Nothing serious; just needed to say goodbye is all."

"I'm sure it's nothing serious, General." Winter assured.

"Well, if we're done stalling," Turoc spoke up, his suitcase secured under his seat. "I say we get going."

Nodding, Patrick stepped aboard, but looked back into the distance, seeing Sienna, looking back at him, with a sorrowful expression. Making sure the others weren't watching, Patrick smiled and winked at his former friend, which seemed to make her smile, as he boarded the airship.

"By the way, I was wondering, Mr. Amant," Penny started.

"Just call me 'Turoc', kiddo." Turoc insisted. "Calling me 'mister' makes me feel old. I'm young enough to be your older brother!"

"As you wish." Penny nodded. "But I was wondering; why did you name your crossbow 'Angelina'?"

Looking back at his weapon, Turoc looked back at Penny with a casual grin.

"Because Bianca and Mirabelle were already taken."

With Winter at the controls, the airship took off, leaving the settlement behind.

* * *

 **And there's the third trailer! Finally, I can work on the fourth and final trailer! Sorry for keeping you guys waiting, I've been trying to get my life sorted out, and I know that I've used this excuse before, but it's true. I've been trying to get my life sorted out, and I've finally decided on becoming a mechanic.**

 **Anyways, as you can tell, in this story, I've loosely based Turoc off of Varric Tethris from Dragon Age. I was originally gonna base him off of Tails from the Sonic series, but I settled for the story-teller character of Varric. I hope you guys like the reference!**

 **Also, yes, I've also based another character off of Shay Cormac from Assassin's Creed: Rogue. I couldn't really think up a different name for him, so I settled with Patrick. I apologize if it seems like I just copy/pasted Shay and made him a Faunus.**

 **Also, huge thanks to moguera for help with Patrick's weapon, Fire and Fury, a weapon that can switch between an assault rifle and split to become a saber and an SMG, huge thanks to him, I highly recommend that you go check out his stories, he is far superior at action scenes than I am.**

 **Anyways, thank you guys for reading the new chapter, and be sure to tell me what you guys think in the reviews!**


	4. The Spartan Trailer

Team L.N.T.C.

Chapter Four: Volume One

The Spartan Trailer

It was a dark, rainy night in the region of Mistral. In the city, Argus, the port city in the northern region of the Kingdom of Mistral that acts as the major trading center between the continents of Anima and Solitas and one of the largest non-capital cities in all of Remnant. The southern edge of Argus is a stone wall several stories tall with a single large gate allowing for road access. The city has cobblestone streets and has a transit system with streetcar-like hovering vehicles following a groove in the roadway. Most of the buildings are brick, only a few stories in height and bear resemblance to the real-world Victorian style of houses. The city is built over hilly terrain, with a large natural harbor. The Kingdom of Atlas has their largest foreign military base on an island just off the coast of Argus, on the other end of a large suspension bridge. The city is the location of Sanctum Academy. Argus has one of the support relay towers of the Cross Continental Transmit System. Argus is connected to the city of Mistral by Argus Limited. The city has hard light barriers that activate via towers that emerge from underwater should large Grimm surface and attack the city.

On that night, a pair of four masked thieves lurked across the streets, before coming upon a large manor on a hill.

"This looks like the place." Said the first thief.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" The second thief said, unsure.

"Of course it is, so quit your bellyaching!" The first thief growled. "We've already scoped the place out; we're set!"

"Are you sure?" The third thief asked. "You said that about the last one and it ended up being filled to the brim with soldiers!"

"You've got nothing to worry about!" The first thief assured. "This one's empty. Not only that, but it also has plenty of top-of-the-line goods that can make us rich!"

"Let's just hope the owner of this manor isn't some psycho." The fourth thief groaned. "I'm having those horror movie flashbacks where the burglars rob the wrong house and end up dead."

* * *

Inside the manor, however, the was lone seventeen-year-old, young man showering, running a single hand through his red back length hair, as the shower ran warm water over his body. Turning the nobs off with his right hand, he stepped out of the shower, drying himself off with a towel, then put on a red and black bathrobe, stepping out of the bathroom and making his way to the bedroom. Entering, he sat at a desk and began to write something down on a piece of paper. Having written down his notes, he was about to head for bed, he heard a noise coming from downstairs.

Turning his head and his obsidian-colored eyes locked on the door, he let out a low sigh, then grabbed what looked like a specially customized Vytal shotgun.

* * *

The four thieves entered through the different entryways, all intending to meet up in the foyer, as the third thief entered through the side door, looking around, and after making sure no one was around, he entered the threshold, closing the door behind him.

"Alright, in the lion's den," The thief said silently. "Maybe Gerald was right; this might be easy."

Walking partway down the hallway, he was late to regret his choice of words, as he heard what sounded like the clicking of a shotgun from behind. Spinning around, he was met with a shotgun pointed at his face.

"You picked the wrong house, fool."

* * *

The three other thieves met up in the foyer of the manor, having the better luck of getting inside than their friend, and all equipped with flashlights.

"All right, we managed to get in without a problem!" The first thief boasted. "You see, boys; I told you guys we'd do fine!"

"What about Harold?" The third thief asked. "He was supposed to meet us here!"

Before anyone could answer, there was a loud _bang_ sound, like the sound of a shotgun going off, startling the three.

"What the hell was that?!" The second thief nearly shouted, startled.

"Probably just lightning." The first thief, probably Gerald, shrugged. "You guys are panicking too much."

"Lightning doesn't sound like _that_!" The fourth thief growled.

"Look, will you guys just relax?" Gerald said. "Let's just grab the goods, and we'll find Harold on the way out."

Reluctantly, the three split up, unaware of the young man watching from the shadows, his shotgun in his hand.

* * *

The second thief, Bruce, walked down a hallway with several suits of armor lined up against the walls, as he carefully walked through, eying the suits of armor with paranoia.

"Okay, get a grip, Bruce." He said to himself, trying to stay calm. "Just gotta grab some valuable goods and get gone. Easy!"

He had no idea how wrong he was, as he was completely unaware of the redhead who watched from the shadows, as his right hand began to glow with a black outline around it. Suddenly, one of the knight's helmets smacked the thief in the back of the head.

"Ow!" He yelped, rubbing his head, before looking around frantically. "Who did that?!"

Looking around, he saw nothing, only the knights that stood in place.

"Okay, real funny, guys!" He called out, irritated. "Stop messing with me!"

Suddenly, one of the armor's gauntlets flew and hit him in the back, emitting another yelp from the fearful thief, who was becoming frantic now. He ducked a metal kite shield that flew towards him but wasn't lucky enough to dodge a metal boot to the rear section.

"Guys, stop it!" He whined, rubbing his sore spots. "This isn't funny!"

Suddenly, the suits of armor started flying about in pieces, whirling around like a whirlwind, pieces beating against Bruce's body, making him scream out, panicking from the assault, crying out for help.

From the shadows, the young man flicked his wrist, the armor started flying towards Bruce, slamming him against the wall, holding him in place against the door. All he could do was struggle and scream, as a longword, blade first, flew towards his face.

* * *

The fourth thief, Bob, walked down the hallways, flashlight in hand, making sure he wasn't walking into a trap, then proceeded onwards.

"Okay, I can do this." He said silently. "Just gotta grab the shit and get out."

Walking down the halls, he came upon a door at the end of the hallway. As he got closer, however, he could see it was slightly opened just a crack. Approaching the door, he slowly opened it, revealing a library of some kind, the shelves stacked high with many kinds of books.

"Never thought the owner would be crazy about books," Bob remarked, browsing the shelves. "Maybe some of them might be worth something."

As he browsed the bookshelves, the red-headed boy watched from afar, his hand glowing with a black outline once again. As Bob looked around, a book suddenly smacked him on the back of his head.

"What the-" He spun around, looking for his attacker. "Who threw that?!"

He kept looking around, frantically trying to find who hand thrown it, before another book flew and smacked him in the side of his face. Then another flew at him, hitting him in the face, almost breaking his nose, then barely had enough time to duck under another one.

Examining the books, he could tell that the covers of the books had some sort of metal connected to them.

"What the hell is this?" He did a double take. "Where do people get these kinds of books?!"

As he examined the books, he failed to notice the approaching redhead, as he pushed the bookshelf from behind. As Bod noticed the looming shadow, he turned around, he screamed as the bookshelf came crashing down on top of him.

* * *

The head thief, no doubt Gerald, walked up to an open door. Opening it, he found himself entering what looked like the master bedroom; a king-sized bed, a work desk in front of the window, a small chest at the foot of the bed and a large closet.

"Looks like the main bedroom," Gerald remarked, pulling up the walkie-talkie. "Guys, you guys hear me? I think I found the mother lode!"

No one responded.

"Guys, you there?" He asked once again.

"Gerald, I presume?" A gruff voice said from the other side of the device.

His blood ran cold, hesitant to say anything, fearful of finding out the hard way.

"Wh-who is this?" He hesitantly asked.

"The owner of the house you're trying to bust into." The voice said sternly. "I met your buddies, by the way. They all had several 'accidents' that proved quite fatal."

"What did you do to them?" Gerald demanded, then started panicking when he didn't get a reply. "Answer me!"

"Why don't you find them and find out?" The voice replied finally. "That is if you survive long enough to find them. Or if you care enough."

The device switched off, Gerald was really panicking now, as he ran out of the master bedroom, running down several halls before stopping, breathing heavy, his mind racing with fear, his heart beating so fast that it could burst out of his chest.

He realized that he made a terrible mistake.

Leaning against a small cupboard, he saw what looked like a family photo. Picking it up, he could make out what looked like a couple with two kids that appeared the same age. The couple was an older man with red hair like his wife, except the man, had black eyes, while the woman had green eyes. The twins looked almost identical to that of their parents; the girl looking more like her mother and the boy looking more like his father.

As he looked at the picture, however, he noticed something in the glass of the frame; some sort of reflection, that looked like a seventeen-year-old young man with back length red hair, a scar running vertically over his right eye, a scowl on his face, and his over-and-under Vytal shotgun pointed straight at him.

The young man fired, firing at the wall next to the thief, causing him to duck behind the cupboard, dropping the picture, then the second shot took off a part of the cupboard.

Pulling out an SMG and taking a deep breath, Gerald jumped out and fired away while running in another direction, the young man simply holding up an almond shield with the omega symbol on the front, blocking the bullets, then walked down another corridor.

The thief ran down the halls, before coming upon a door with a sword sticking out, with blood dripping from the tip. Opening the door, Gerald gasped at the sight of Bruce's corpse, the sword through the face, a look of horror on Bruce's face. Gerald ran from the sight, before arriving at the library, spotting the body of Bob, crushed under the combined weight of the books and the shelf. Running, he came upon the last hallway, before coming upon the body of Harold, his head blown clean off.

"This whole thing has been a disaster!" He screamed, in a panic now. "I've gotta get out of here!"

Turning around, the barrel of his was grabbed by what looked like a cybernetic hand, which then turned counterclockwise, bending the barrel of the gun back, and Gerald was then met with a clothesline, knocking him clean off his feet and down to the floor. Struggling to his feet, he frantically looked around, finding no one, before running down the hall, before coming upon the foyer, the exit in sight.

Taking a minute to look behind him, he was shocked when he was hit in the face with a flying war hammer, sending him falling over the railing and crashing into a table.

The war hammer suddenly stopped in midair, the same black outline around it, before flying back to the owner, who made his way down the stairs, his hammer being a traditional war hammer with a spike on one side of the head, the head of the hammer also had barrels that run along the side, and point out past the spike. The head then separated so that the blunt end runs down to the end to create the stock, retracting the spike, and forming the shotgun.

As the young man approached, the thief struggled to pull out a pistol as a last-ditch effort to save himself, only for the young man to snatch the pistol away with his cybernetic hand, then tossed it to the side, now looking down at the defenseless thief.

Gerald was completely at this man's mercy.

"Wh-who are you?" He managed to choke out.

As he looked down at the thief in a menacing silence, the young man pointed the shotgun at the thief's head.

"Cenric." He finally answered. "Cenric. Nikos."

 _Bang!_

And with that, the last of the thieves was dead, his head blown clean off.

The young man simply gazed at the body, before hearing the doorbell ring, followed by what sounded like sirens. Putting the shotgun on a nearby table and with tired eyes, Cenric casually and slowly went up to the door, then slowly opened it, revealing a young police officer.

"Evening, Cenric." He greeted with a friendly tone.

"Evening, Jimmy." Cenric returned the greeting, with a tired but friendly tone. "Noise complaint?"

"Noise complaint." Jimmy nodded, taking his hat off to run a hand through his short black hair. "You working?"

"No, I'm just dealing with some pests." He said plainly.

"Ah, I see." Jimmy nodded, putting his hat back on. "I'll leave you to it." He then turned to leave. "Goodnight, Cenric."

"Goodnight, Jimmy," Cenric said, closing the door, then walked over to a landline phone, inserting a few numbers and called someone. "Hello, this is Cenric. Yes, Cenric Nikos. I'd like to arrange a 'dinner reservation' for four."

After getting the bodies cleared out and after cleaning up the mess and repairing the damage done by the scuffle, Cenric went on the bed, putting away his shield and hammer-gun before calling it a night.

* * *

The next morning came, and Cenric went on like last night never happened, going on about his usual activities; his morning exercises, polishing his weapons and writing in his journal. Cenric then left for the training room, with his Spartan armor. His main weapon, the hammer-gun, which he named Storm Breaker, was a typical war hammer that can switch between its current war hammer form, and a spear and the Vytal shotgun, and also uses a lightning Dust crystal to generate lightning. His shield, which he called Vörðr, is an almond shield had straps for the arm mounted on a rotating assembly, so that it can be held like a regular shield, but can then rotate so that it extends out along the arm, instead of resting across it. Having the section tapering down to the point to separate and form a channel between them, with the barrel mounted in the wider, rounded portion, so that it can become a rail-gun.

His armor was Spartan Hoplite armor. The muscle cuirass, which is shaped to look like an idealized version of a man's torso (ie really well-muscled) was black, below that was the pteruges, which is the term for that skirt-like thing that Greek warriors wore. It's another kind of armor, protecting the groin area, usually consisting of overlapping strips of leather or cloth armor in layers. Considering that he wore black over the torso, the outer layer of Cenric's pteruges would be red, with the inner layer black. The shins were protected by greaves, which were metal shinguards. They were described as curved, black plates, attached with red straps. Likewise, the forearms are protected by bracers along with black metal gloves. Underneath the cuirass would be the red tunic that also included a cloak, which was black with the red omega symbol on the back.

Turning on the training machine, he put on his Spartan helmet and waited at the center of the training ring. Suddenly, to the far side of the ring, two target dummies popped from underneath, then Cenric simply spun and fired his shotgun, destroying them. Another one popped up, fired a flurry of laser blasts, prompting Cenric to raise his shield and block against the blasts. Switching his weapon into its spear form, he slowly made his way to the target dummies, while still holding his shield up to protect himself from the blasts. Once he was close enough, he swung his spear, slicing the dummies in half.

In the far side of the arena, two more training dummies popped up from the far side of the arena, two advanced training robots, both brandishing longswords, as they charged at Cenric, who changed his spear to hammer mode, then braced himself. One of the robots closed in and swung its sword, which clanged against his shield, giving him the opportunity to counterattack, swinging his hammer in an uppercut attack, hitting the robot in the head, sending it flying, and crashed back into the ground, its head destroyed and the body shuts down.

The second robot charged in, swinging its sword, only for Cenric to duck under the swing, spinning around, then switched his shield into its railgun form, pointed it at his target and fired, the shot pretty much destroying the training robot.

At that moment, he heard the doorbell ring.

Sighing, he turned off the training ring, the put away his shield and hammer-gun and armor, putting on a robe and slowly made his way towards the door. Approaching the door, he slowly opened it, revealing an older woman who seemed to be in her early thirties, wearing a decorated red robe with golden linings. Her hair was crimson red and she had lovely emerald green eyes.

"Hello, Cenric." She greeted with a friendly smile.

Cenric, however, didn't smile. His expression didn't even change.

"Hello, Mother," Cenric said in a monotone voice.

"May I come in?" She politely asked. "I was hoping we could speak."

Cenric was very tempted to just turn her away. Any reminder of his twin, especially after that incident, would only set him off, especially after his father had disowned him. But his mother, Pandora, was the only one who went out of her way to see her son, despite everything that had happened.

Reluctantly, he stepped aside.

"Sure, might as well." He shrugged.

"Thank you," Pandora said, stepping inside, looking around. "You've taken immense care in this place."

"I have to; if I'm gonna live here." He replied simply, closing the door and making his way to the kitchen. "I'll prepare some tea. Take a seat in the living room."

"That would be lovely." She smiled, making her way to the living room.

* * *

Cenric entered the kitchen, getting out the tea set, then made to prepare the tea. As he began, he looked at his cybernetic hand; the hand that replaced his severed one, reaching partway up his arm, clenching it slowly, his teeth grinding at the memory.

" _Cenric, please don't do this!"_

" _I hate you, Pyrrha! I wish you were never born!"_

The very thought of that memory bit into Cenric, remember how that fight went down, between him and his twin sister; the harsh emotions, the jealousy, the anger, rage, the desire to prove oneself. But for Cenric, he only felt anger at that memory. He should've won that fight easily. Despite his twin being just a few minutes older than him, he _lived_ for fighting and he was good at it. Throw in his natural use with his Storm Breaker hammer-gun and Vörðr rail-shield and his insane durability and you have the perfect soldier. But Pyrrha had more experience with her semblance and her sword, and despite Cenric's durability, Pyrrha knew how to use someone's weakness against them. And she did; using his temper to make him lose focus and through the combined use of her semblance and her sword, she severed his arm, just like their bond. After that incident, Pyrrha went off to Beacon Academy, while Cenric was exiled from his family home, forced to become a bounty hunter to keep himself alive.

All he knew was this; ever since that day, he still held a deadly grudge against Pyrrha. He blamed her for everything.

But at the same time, he still valued his sister.

* * *

Pandora walked into the dining room, looking about her surroundings. Cenric certainly kept this place straightened up. The windows were decorated with red and black curtains, the red and black rugs littered about the halls, and the walls were decorated with mostly black and red paint.

'Cenric always did like those two colors.' She thought to herself, giggling at the thought.

Looking around some more, she came across a photo atop a cupboard. Walking over to it, she saw that it was a picture of Pyrrha and Cenric when they were children, both covered in dirt and Cenric missing a tooth and Pyrrha with a black eye. She couldn't help but smile at the memories of the two being so close, always training together, always by each other's sides. She had once believed that the two once had a bond that nothing could ever break. The two even vowing to become Huntsmen together.

But then she frowned, as she remembered as the two drifted slowly apart, as people started to fawn over Pyrrha, and the fact that his father started favoring Pyrrha more than his own son only rubbed more salt to the wound. Seeing her son grow more resentful, Pandora did her best to support her son, even training him with the hammer and shield, even giving him Storm Breaker and Vörðr as a birthday present. Despite her doing everything she could to support her son, it wasn't enough.

And to add insult to injury, several months ago, Cenric was pushed over the edge, when their father brought news that Pyrrha had been accepted into Beacon Academy. Cenric was hurt because the twins had promised to become Huntsmen _together,_ he was hurt even more when his own sister just acted like she forgot and didn't care. Swallowing his pride, Cenric remained humble and congratulated his sister, and simply asked his father if he could go to Beacon as well.

His father told him no, and that he had to _earn it_. Earn it, despite having proven his worth since he was ten years old. Earn it, despite having worked just as hard as his sister. Earn it, despite having done exactly that. And his own father told him no.

Outraged, Cenric took matters into his own hands and, despite his mother's protests, several months before Pyrrha was supposed to be headed for Beacon, Cenric challenged Pyrrha for that right. The two fought what most people would call a battle greater than any fight in the tournament. In the end, Pyrrha had defeated her brother, who proceeded to show resentment for his sister's neglect, despite Pyrrha's efforts to fix their already broken bond, Cenric was determined to be bitter, even disowning her as a sister, going so far to say that their bond was dead.

Pandora sighed sadly at that memory, hoping that the day would come when the twins would finally reconcile.

"Tea's ready," Cenric called from the kitchen.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Pandora took her seat on the couch, as her son returned carrying the tea and cups on a silver tray.

"That's very kind of you." She smiled.

"It's not every day that I get guests." Cenric shrugged, as he placed the tray on the small table. "Besides, it's always a good day when you visit."

Nodding, Pandora watched at Cenric poured the tea, sometimes looking at his cybernetic hand, then accepted a cup, then the two sat in awkward silence, the two occasionally engaging in small talk here and there, before going back into an awkward silence.

"So…does it still bother you?" Pandora finally spoke, gesturing to his robotic hand. "Your arm, I mean."

Cenric glanced at his mechanical limb, then back to his mother.

"It's like it's still there, sometimes." He said bluntly. "It burns, sometimes."

"But you've gotten used to the prosthetic?" His mother inquired.

"For the most part, yeah." Cenric nodded.

"That's good."

The two sat in silence once again, one of them occasionally taking sips of their tea, before Pandora spoke again.

"It's been quite lonely without you."

Cenric simply grunted, before taking a sip of his tea.

"I mean that." She said sternly. "Despite what you may think. We all miss you; me, your father, Pyrrha-"

"Yet she was all too happy to forget I existed when she heard she was going to Beacon." Cenric retorted.

"Cenric, you were siblings." Pandora implored. "You have no idea how it pained her when that happened-"

"Well, she should've thought about that before she stabbed me in the back!" Cenric yelled, shooting up from his seat. "We had a dream that we vowed to achieve _together_ and she ended up shoving me to the side! Do you have any idea how much that hurt me?"

"She's your sister. Cenric!" Pandora cried out. "All she wants now is to fix the bond you two once shared! Can't you swallow your pride and bury the hatchet? There's no need for this to carry on. Please, I want my son home."

Cenric just stood and stared her down, Pandora unable to read his expression. He's always been good at that; masking his emotions and not letting anyone see what he was feeling or thinking he was extremely good at.

"I'll come home once my 'father' and 'sister' apologize for the way they treated me." He huffed, before gesturing towards the door. "I think you should go."

Sighing, Pandora reluctantly got up and walked toward the door, then stopped to look back at her son.

"It's not too late, Cenric." She said as she opened the door. "There is still hope for you and Pyrrha to fix things."

And with that, she left, leaving Cenric with something to think about.

* * *

After cleaning up, Cenric decided to go out to the park to try and clear his head. After walking a mile around the park, he stopped and took a break on a park bench, gazing at his surroundings; the lush trees, the playground for kids. Cenric remembers the moments he shared with his sister fondly when they were children, the two playing together, always playing rough, the way they used to laugh and enjoy each other's company.

Remembering such moments brought tears to his eye.

"Pardon me, good sir?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked up to see a gentleman figure approach him. The figure was tall and fair-skinned with light brown hair and wore a pair of glasses and a navy blue two-button suit, and he carried an umbrella.

"I hope you don't mind if I bother you, good sir." The gentleman said with a smile.

"And you are…?" Cenric inquired.

"Oliver Oswald." The gentleman declared. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Why?" Cenric asked bluntly.

"Right then, I'll get straight to the point. " Oliver said, taking a seat beside him. "I am a Huntsman from Beacon Academy, you see, and I was asked by your mother's request to find you."

Cenric turned his head to him, giving the suit-wearing gentleman his full attention.

"You see, she spoke quite highly about you," Oliver explained. "She told about your combat prowess, your skills, and heck you've beaten several seniors twice your age. Even went as far to say that you're prime Huntsman material. I don't know why you were never recommended for Beacon in the first place!"

'My father might be one of those reasons.' Cenric thought to himself.

"Regardless, the headmaster received a letter from your mother." Oliver declared. "From what she says, you busted your ass to get to where you are, only to be pushed aside by people who prefer your sister; even your own father showed clear favoritism for your sister. Your mother, however, believes you've done more than prove yourself and deserves the opportunity to show what you're made of." He then smiled. "I agree with her. I'm here by your mother's request to invite you to Beacon to become a Huntsman and help us fight against the Creatures of Grimm."

Cenric was in deep thought. He was being given an opportunity to show the world that he has what it takes to become a Huntsman and a chance to step out of the shadow of her sister. Even if it seems like he's just being handed an entrance into Beacon, surely there's nothing wrong with this one time, right?

His mind made up, he looked at Oliver.

"I accept." He said. "But first, I need to see my mother."

* * *

 **And that concludes the last of the four trailers of my main characters! Thank you guys for the patience and I hope you guys are looking forward to more, because I have a lot planned for this story! Anyways, I want to give thanks to moguera for his help with Cenric's weapons and armor, he has been a huge help, I highly recommend you go check out his stories, show him some love! Anyways, what do you guys think of the OC's I've introduced? Which one do you like the most? If you guys spot any problems, let me know, be it in PM's or reviews, I'm always updating and fixing this story so be sure to send me your feedback. Just no flaming, okay?**

 **Anyways, hope you guys stay tuned for more, and be sure to review!**


	5. Welcome To Beacon

Team L.N.T.C.

Chapter Five: Volume One

Welcome to Beacon

Loki looked out the window with a smile on his face, the bullhead he was riding in flying through the sky, watching the clouds pass by and seeing how small the city of Vale looked from the height he was. Sitting across from him was his recruiter, Sting, with one leg over the other, watching his charge like a scorpion, waiting to strike. But he wasn't going to strike anyone; obviously, he was simply watching him from behind those sunglasses.

"You seem awfully happy about riding in a bullhead." He remarked.

"When I was a boy, my father would take me riding in his personal plane." Loki declared. "It was nice, for a time; looking down at how small the city of Vale looked from above, watching the clouds pass by." He then chuckled. "When I was a boy, I used to have dreams of flying high, like a bird."

"Sounds like a childhood dream, it seems." Sting commented.

"Laugh if you're capable, if you want." Loki shrugged. "I still remember those days fondly."

Sting simply nodded.

"Well, enjoy the view while you can, kid." He declared. "Cause we're gonna be arriving at Beacon shortly."

"We're gonna be approaching Beacon in five minutes!" The pilot called from the cockpit, jinxing what Sting had said. "Get ready for landing!"

Looking out the window, Loki could see Beacon Academy come into view. Usually, he was more than content with being a bounty hunter, but seeing the grand structure of the academy made him glad he accepted.

"Get ready for landing," Sting said, rising from his seat. "This will be your new home for the next four years."

The bullhead landed, allowing Loki to step out onto the avenue, taking in the sight of the school, looking on in amazement.

"I wish you luck, kid," Sting called. "Just head into the building straight ahead and take the elevator up to the headmaster's office."

"You're not coming?" Loki inquired.

"The headmaster has another mission for me." Sting shrugged. "Don't worry; I'm sure we'll meet again."

The bullhead taking off, Loki turned back to gaze at the school, still finding it hard to believe that a smalltime bounty hunter like him could be given a chance to join those who are responsible with pushing back the Grimm.

As he started walking, he took note of several other students with varying weapons of their own; a katana-bow, a boom box that can transform into a hammer, and was that a chainsaw-flamethrower?! Truly, the students of this academy were certainly going to be interesting.

Carefully following Sting's instructions, Loki walked onward down the avenue, towards the main building, then entered, then proceeded to approach the elevator. Stepping inside, he took the elevator upwards, ascending the tower. The elevator ride lasted what seemed like several minutes, he finally reached the top, entering what he assumed is the headmaster's office; a wide, open room with a desk at the end with a window that offers an impressive view of the surrounding area. He walked over to the window to get a better view, admiring the view from such a great height.

"Enjoying the view?"

He turned to see an elder man standing at the desk. The man in question was a middle-aged man with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes. He had a light complexion and sharp facial features. Interestingly, he had black eyebrows, suggesting that he may have had black hair when he was younger.

He wore shaded glass spectacles and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin on the cowl around his neck. His outfit mainly consisted of an unzipped black suit over a dark green, buttoned vest, and green shirt. He also wore black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants. In addition to his cane, his other accessory is a mug bearing the Beacon Academy emblem.

"It's always a nice view from up here." He declared, walking over to the window and looking downwards. "Watching the students walk and talk with one another, among other things."

"And you are…" Loki inquired, raising a brow.

The elder man simply walked over to the desk and sat down.

"I am Ozpin; headmaster of Beacon Academy." He declared. "But before we continue, there are several others who are expected to arrive."

As he said that, the elevator went off, opening to reveal Nirnasha Hex, escorted by Qrow and Corrin.

"Welcome, Nirnasha." Ozpin greeted, before turning to Qrow. "Thank you for escorting him here."

"Not a problem, Oz." Qrow shrugged. "It was an interesting venture, to say the least."

"Yeah, there was a Desert Demon and I cracked its skull in half!" Corrin boasted.

"By that, she means she jumped right into its maw." Qrow deadpanned, earning an elbow to the ribs from Corrin.

"Corrin, you do understand that such actions may get you killed." Ozpin sighed.

"And yet I'm still here!" She smirked. "You forget that I'm the Daredevil Dragon!"

"And yet that 'Daredevil' attitude of yours may end up being your downfall," Ozpin remarked, before turning to Qrow. "Regardless, I appreciate you taking the time to go on this little errand for me, Qrow; you and Corrin both."

"Ah, don't mention it," Qrow said dismissively. "Just doin' my job."

And with that, Qrow and Corrin left, leaving Loki with the headmaster and the young necromancer.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hex." Ozpin declared with a friendly smile. "I trust Qrow has explained things to you."

"I know enough." Nirnasha nodded. "He also assured me that you'd find work for my friends."

"Bernadette and Pecker, yes?" Ozpin asked, earning a nod from Nirnasha. "Yes, Qrow informed me of those two. I'll be sure to give those two work and compensation while they're here."

"I appreciate that." Nirnasha nodded, before turning his attention to Loki. "And who are you?"

"Name's Loki; Loki Greene." Loki greeted with a bow. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Your name is 'Greene'?" Nirnasha remarked with a raised brow. "Why? Is it all the green you wear?"

Loki raised a brow, before smirking.

"Your name is 'Hex'?" He said. "What are you, a wizard?"

Nirnasha frowned at the joke, while the headmaster simply chuckled.

"Well, I can already tell that you two will get along nicely," Ozpin said. "And I hope that you will also get along with the others."

After another minute, the elevator went off again, revealing General Ironwood and Winter, along with Patrick and Turoc, as they entered the room.

"Ozpin, we've returned from Solitas." Ironwood declared. "We've also dealt with a would-be White Fang incursion in High Road."

"That's good to hear, old friend." Ozpin smiled, before turning to the Fox-Faunus. "It is good to finally make your acquaintance, Mr. Amant."

"Good to know," Turoc smirked, adjusting his glove. "And there I was, thinking I was gonna be ass-deep in snow forever." He then turned to Loki and Nirnasha and smiled a friendly smile. "Turoc Amant, at your service; rogue, story-teller, and sometimes," He winked at Ironwood, who grimaced. "Unwelcome tag-along."

"If that is all," Ironwood inquired. "We need to go before Penny wanders off."

"Of course." Ozpin nodded. "Thank you again for your time." He then turned to Patrick. "By the way, Mr. Cormac? I need you to head for the missions board. There's a mission I need you to handle."

"As you wish, Boss." Patrick nodded.

The three left, leaving Ozpin with the story-teller, the trickster, and the necromancer.

"So, you're a story-teller, huh?" Loki spoke up. "How many books have you written?"

"A few." Turoc shrugged. "I've tried my hand at a few genres. My crime series are the most popular; _Mystery in Mistral._ Guards breaking the rules to get things done. _The Crimes of White Fang_ is the most famous thing I've written. Or infamous, maybe, given that the White Fang wants me dead."

"Wow, they think the best way to prove you wrong about their violent behavior…is by violently killing you." Nirnasha remarked. "Those White Fangs punks are full of hypocrites."

"Tell me something I don't know." Turoc chuckled. "Anyways, I've started a romance serial once; _Guns and Blades._ But, to be honest, I don't have the knack for romances. Most of my stories end in tragedy. Probably that says something about me personally."

"Now, if I recall, there's only one more," Ozpin mused silently.

Suddenly, the elevator went off one last time, as Oliver Oswald and Cenric Nikos entered the room.

"Hello, Headmaster." Oliver greeted politely with a bow. "It is good to see you again."

"You as well, Mr. Oswald." Ozpin nodded with a smile. "I hope your trip to Mistral was a safe one."

"We've made it to and from Mistral well enough." Oliver nodded, before gesturing to Cenric. "I'd like to introduce you to Cenric Nikos; the Black Hammer of Argus."

Cenric simply stood there, not saying a word.

"It's an honor to meet you, at last, Mr. Nikos." Ozpin smiled. "I've heard about your many tournament victories."

Cenric nodded, still not saying a word.

"I'm guessing he's the strong silent type," Loki whispered to Nirnasha, who nodded in response.

"If that will be all, sir, I will take my leave." Oliver declared.

"Of course." Ozpin nodded. "Be sure to stop by the mission's board, for Patrick may need your assistance."

Nodding, Oliver bowed before leaving.

"Now that that's out of the way, time to get down to business." Ozpin cleared his throat, his hands closed together on the desk. "As you may already know, I am Professor Ozpin; I am the headmaster of Beacon Academy. I've been looking forward to meeting the four of you."

"And why us specifically?" Nirnasha inquired, raising a brow.

"Not anyone can be admitted to my school as easily as some may want to think," Ozpin explained. "Beacon is a school where many talented youths come to hone their skills and become Huntsmen, those who can fight back against the Creatures of Grimm and protect those who can't protect themselves. And from what I've seen, you four are quite capable."

The four boys gave him odd looks, expecting more.

"From what I've heard, you four have been traveling your own perspective Kingdoms, honing your skills." Ozpin went on, before turning to Loki. "Loki Greene, you've traveled all across Vale, mastering your sword and gun skills. Your semblance, astral projection and illusion casting, as you've called it 'the Trick', allows you to fool your opponents to make the wrong move."

"Depends on how much aura and focus I use and how far away they are." Loki shrugged. "If the people I want to send my thoughts to is like say all the way in Mistral and I'm here in Vale, I'd have to concentrate really hard, which means I have to block out all distractions and focus on where I want my projection to be. But a few close-range decoys require little focus and aura, especially in a fight."

"Nirnasha Hex, you're quite different as well." Ozpin went on, looking over at the necromancer. "You've survived the hardships in Vacuo, despite what people thought of you. And your semblance allows you to commune with the spirits of the dead."

"Not really, but you're close." Nirnasha nodded. "My semblance, Spirit Caller, allows me to bring forth the spirits to help me in combat. But it's not limited to only spirit manipulation; my Soul Gazer allows me to gaze into people's souls and see things how they actually saw it. I can also use the maximum power of my semblance to summon forth a massive skeleton-like spirit; the Skeleton King."

"Your semblance sounds kinda overpowered," Loki remarked.

"Yeah, but it requires a lot of my aura to use." Nirnasha shrugged.

"And of course, Turoc Amant." Ozpin turned his attention to Turoc. "Despite not having a semblance, you make up for it with grace and precision. Your crossbow is also quite special."

"Why, thank you." Turoc grinned. "Angelina and I have been through a lot together."

"You named you crossbow 'Angelina'?" Nirnasha raised a brow.

"Of course." Turoc nodded. "And she'll be great company on the battlefield."

"And finally, Cenric Nikos, younger twin brother to Pyrrha Nikos." Ozpin declared, setting his sights on the young Spartan. "Despite being Pyrrha's younger twin, you've proven to be quite formidable as well. You've won multiple tournaments and even won several team competitions alongside your sister. You also seem to be close to par with your sister's use of your semblance. Not only that but you are also much stronger than Pyrrha, despite being younger by a few minutes. I'm quite surprised you haven't been admitted to Beacon sooner!"

"My father might have been the issue there." Cenric finally spoke up.

"Ah yes, the whole overprotective father habit." Ozpin frowned. "He seemed more than happy to send his daughter, but made no mention of his son. Perhaps he thought sending his daughter was enough, or perhaps he did so, not thinking about what the son wanted? Hmmm…I wonder."

Cenric paid no attention to the old man's musing. He was here now and he intended to make the most of it, no matter what his father thought.

"Well, regardless, you're here now, and that's all that matters." The headmaster declared. "Now that we have the introductions out of the way; the reason you're here now." He looked from one face to another, before beginning. "To start off, I've seen things that happened to you." He looked to Loki. "Losing a family member." To Nirnasha. "Losing one's place in the world." To Turoc. "Tragedy in the family." Finally, to Cenric. "Or perhaps severed a bond that shouldn't have been broken."

All four boys had varying expressions; Loki looked down with a sad expression, a hand over his chest, Nirnasha looked away with frustration, Turoc closed his eyes, sighing, and Cenric looked at his cybernetic hand, clenching it into a fist.

"But I see great potential in the four of you." Ozpin went on. "You four have great capabilities to become Huntsmen. I can grant you a chance to become huntsmen and fight to protect humanity. So, what say you?"

The four boys looked to one another, each having their own thoughts before Nirnasha stepped forward.

"I'd be more than happy to accept." He said. "Vacuo isn't home to me anymore, so what else have I got to lose?"

"I'll take you up on that offer as well." Turoc chimed in. "Maybe I can put my spy network to good use finally."

"I accept as well." Cenric nodded. "I've waited so long to become a Huntsman and my father isn't going to deny me that right any longer!"

"What about you, Mr. Greene?" Ozpin asked, gazing at Loki. "Will you join and become a beacon of hope for humanity?"

Loki could see the other boys looking at him, expecting an answer. Since he was eleven years old, he was more content with roaming as a bounty hunter. But now? Now he felt he could accomplish so much more if he accepted.

'No harm in tryin', right? Perhaps it could help me find the bastard that killed my father.' He thought, before looking back to the headmaster. "Alright, I'm in."

"Excellent." Ozpin smiled. "Starting today, you four will be working together as a team. Loki Greene, Nirnasha Hex, Turoc Amant, and Cenric Nikos, from this day forward, you four will be working together as Team Lunatic, led by Loki Greene. Tomorrow, we will begin your combat evaluation, as well as regular classes."

* * *

After the lecture on student schedules and procedures, the four left the office, entering the lobby.

"Well, that happened.' Nirnasha spoke. "Looks like we're official huntsmen now."

"In training." Cenric corrected. "We're not official huntsmen until graduation, which isn't until after four years."

"Man, are you always so serious?" Turoc chuckled. "Still, becoming a huntsman is not how I imagined spending my days. Still, better than living in the snow."

"Or sand," Nirnasha added. "And trust me; spending your exile days in a desert full of Grimm that could swallow you whole is way worse than any blizzard."

"I detest that." Turoc frowned. "Slowly freezing to death in a blizzard is way worse than death by Grimm."

"How about instead of debating whose home region is worse, how about we get some food?" Cenric bluntly interjected. "After a long trip, I'm starving."

"I agree with soldier boy!" Loki smirked, ignoring the stink eye he got from Cenric. "As the leader, I say we get some food in our bellies!"

"Only one question, fearless leader," Nirnasha said, sarcastically saying 'fearless leader'. "Which way is the lunchroom?"

His expression turning blank, Loki looked from one way to another, before turning back to his teammates.

"Shit." He cursed under his breath. "Shoulda asked for directions…"

Before they could walk in a random direction, they were approached by two other individuals. One of them was a teenage boy with tan skin, dark-blue eyes and messy light-blue hair in the form of an undercut. He wore a white dress shirt and black tie under a red jacket adorned with a wide, upturned, black collar, and a silver reticle across the back. He also sported a pair of gray jeans with black padding strapped to the sides, as well as black shoes fastened with straps instead of laces. He also wore a pair of black fingerless gloves and a pair of yellow-tinted goggles on his forehead.

The other one was a tan-skinned Faunus boy with short spiky light-blonde hair and his eyes are blue. He wore two red wrist bracers over black fingerless gloves and an open loose-collared white jacket with no shirt underneath, displaying his muscular physique. He also wore blue cargo pants tied up with a white belt. He wore white bandages on his legs and has a chain hanging from the belt loop on the right side of his pants. He sported black and yellow sneakers and wore a black cord with a round pendant bearing a monkey emblem around his neck. He had a long prehensile monkey tail the same color as his hair.

"Hey, you guys lost?" The monkey-Faunus asked with a grin.

"You can say that." Turoc shrugged. "We're just wondering which way is the cafeteria."

"Oh, that's easy." The blue-haired boy smiled. "Just follow some of the other students heading that way."

"Better yet, follow us!" The monkey-Faunus declared with a grin. "Neptune and I were on our way there ourselves!"

"Haven't even introduced ourselves and you're already offering to take us out to lunch." Nirnasha joked.

"Oh right!" Sun chuckled. "Names Sun, Sun Wukong." He pointed a thumb to his friend. "This here's Neptune Vasilias, my partner in crime!"

Team LNTC introduced themselves, then they walked with the two boys to the way that hopefully leads to the cafeteria.

* * *

After a bit of walking, and Sun talking about his intervention with a White Fang robbery at the docks, the six boys finally arrived at the building that seemed to house the cafeteria.

"Finally, we've arrived!" Loki sighed with relief. "I was starting to wonder if we'd _ever_ find this place!"

"Hey, gimme a break, man!" Sun pouted. "I knew exactly where we were going!"

"Then how come we ended up back at the avenue seven times?" Nirnasha pointed out bluntly.

"Let's just be glad that we eventually found it," Turoc interjected. "Getting into an argument like this will only lead to more problems."

"I agree." Cenric nodded. "Rather, let's get some food now."

In agreement, the boys quickly moved on, while Sun went on about fighting alongside a team of young huntresses, talking about how the girl he met was a Faunus and then having Neptune promised to keep it secret.

Loki and his new teammates were barely listening, simply walking along, then Turoc and Nirnasha noticed a teenage boy with short blonde hair get thrown into the somehow shatter-proof window, startling the two of them. The boy sheepishly waved at them, who then awkwardly waved back, watching as the boy fell to the floor inside.

Nirnasha and Turoc looked to each other, then shrugged, before catching back up to their companions.

"I just don't wanna screw this up, ya know?" Sun went on, unaware of the food fight happening inside. "The people here are the coolest!" He then turned to Neptune. "No offense to you guys."

"None taken."

The boys stopped at the doors to the cafeteria. While Sun turned to speak to Neptune, Loki, Nirnasha, Turoc, and Cenric wasted no time entering, though were taken aback by the chaos that was taking place. As the students ran past the four, Sun and Neptune soon rejoined them, though Sun seemed more amazed, where Neptune appeared shocked.

Looking onward, Loki could see a large mountain of tables piled high, and he could see a girl with fair skin and short orange hair and turquoise eyes, standing at the top of the pile of tables laughing, and chanting about being 'queen of the castle', while three others stood at other parts of the pile; one of them was the blonde haired boy with blue eyes that Nirnasha and Turoc had seen thrown into the window, another was a young man with long black hair tied into a ponytail that ends midway down his back, with a magenta streak on the left side of his hair. His eyes match the streak in his hair. The last was looked like a female version of Cenric, with long red hair tied in a high ponytail, except she had a pale white complexion and emerald green eyes. And all of them wearing Beacon school uniforms.

"What in the devil is going on?" Nirnasha asked.

"I was not expecting a food fight on our first day," Turoc remarked, pulling out a notepad and started writing things down for some reason.

"We might want to get behind something," Cenric warned, setting up a table in a defensive position.

Before getting behind the table with his teammates, Loki took notice of the other team that stood against the opposing team. One of the girls was a tall, fair-skinned young woman with lilac eyes and bright golden hair worn loose that fades to pale gold at the tips with a cowlick sticking out at the top. The second one was, again, a fair-skinned young woman with amber eyes and long, wavy black hair and wore a black bow. The third one was a pale-skinned young woman with pale blue eyes and long white hair pulled back into an off-center bun tail on the right side and pinned with an icicle-shaped tiara, and had a crooked scar runs vertically down her left eye and face.

The leader, however, truly caught his attention, being a fair-skinned young girl with silver eyes and black, neck-length, choppy hair that gradates to dark red at the tips, standing atop a table, ranting about justice being swift, painful and…delicious?. But the one thing that stood out was that she was wearing a long, red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins.

"I feel as though I recognize her from somewhere," Loki mused, rubbing a finger against his chin. "But from where?"

Before he could continue his train of thought, Cenric quickly pulled Loki behind the table. The food fight began, the orange-haired girl yelling 'off with their heads', she and her team throwing ridiculous amounts of watermelons at the opposing team.

The girls on the opposing team sprang into action, the blonde girl picking up two turkeys and used them as boxing gloves, punching the watermelons, then the black haired girl leaps in front of her teammate and picked up two baguettes. The blonde then threw her turkeys at the red-haired girl, who managed to dodge out of the way and grabs a single baguette, leaving her blonde friend to take the blows.

"Today is not a good day for the blonde," Nirnasha remarked, shaking his head.

"Which one?" Cenric asked bluntly.

"The one who just took a face full of turkey." Turoc chuckled, still writing things down.

The four boys continued to watch, as the red-haired and black haired girls began to duel in a one-on-one fight. Despite the dark haired girl's attempt to disorient the redhead with looked like shadow copies of herself, the redhead knocked her back and threw three more baguettes to the blonde girl, with the last knocking her down as well.

The girl with the cloak uses a food tray to slide towards the redhead across the table and hits a baguette back at her with the same tray; the redhead manages to dodge the shot but is unable to stop the cloaked girl from knocking her backwards with the same food tray. The dark haired boy and the orange haired girl then charge at her, but the pale girl intercepted them, using ketchup to cause the black-haired boy to slip and crash with a group of tables which are launched because of the impact.

"And he crashes and burns!" Nirnasha commentated.

"Things sure are heating up," Turoc smirked.

"And just what are you doing, by the way?" Cenric asked, taking notice of him writing in his notepad.

"Writing this shit down." Turoc declared. "This gave me an idea for a new book; Monster Academies!"

"Sounds like a spoof of something." Loki mused.

The energetic girl jumped through the tables to grab a metal flag pole and attach a watermelon to it, wielding it like a hammer. She attacks the pale girl but hits the red hood girl instead, who manages to stand between them to protect her partner from the assault; however, the force of this impact knocks her down. The pale girl grabs a swordfish and engages the hyperactive girl in a one-on-one, but ends up being defeated after her opponent throws her against a pillar, knocking her down, and causing the pillar to break. Before the pieces crush her, the red hood girl jumps in and saves her partner but shouts dramatically at her partner's apparent demise.

"Looks like she's out cold." Nirnasha cringed, before seeing the teacup roll at his feet, then picked it up. "And through it all, her teacup remains unscathed."

"This is by far the most epic food fight I've ever seen in my entire life," Cenric remarked.

The blonde girl grabs two more turkeys and duels the black haired boy, who wields a pair of leeks. He is overwhelmed by the blonde's reflexes and takes a lot of hits before being sent a few meters into the air by an uppercut. He recovers from the strikes and throws his leeks at her, but she manages to dodge them and proceeds to finish him by jumping high enough to punch him toward the floor, knocking him out. The orange haired girl intervenes immediately afterwards and sends the blonde flying through the roof with her hammer but destroys the weapon in the process.

"There she goes!" Turoc looked up at the hole the blonde was sent through.

The black haired girl gets back up to dodge the debris of the roof and grabs a link of sausages. She whips it at the disarmed orange haired girl, throwing her against two soda machines. This leak some soda cans that she throws at her foe, who manages to dodge them all. The red-haired then activated her Semblance of polarity on the puddle of soda, causing all the soda cans on it to rise after her opponent, barraging her with soda.

"And now Pyrrha's using her Semblance." Cenric sighed.

"You know her?" Nirnasha inquired.

"She's my twin," Cenric answered.

"To think food can be made into such deadly weapons." Loki mused.

"And now Red Riding Hood stands alone," Turoc commented. "I wonder how she'll turn the tide."

"I'm sure Ruby will think of something," Loki smirked. "Honestly can't believe I forgot."

Ruby, the last remaining member of RWBY, then uses her Semblance of speed to dash through the food court, causing everything to follow her through the tailwind caused by her overwhelming speed. She spins like a torpedo, creating a hurricane of food that comes back at the opposing team, knocking all four members out.

Peeking out from behind the table, the members of LNTC gazes in amazement at the massive mess; food splattered everywhere, tables scattered all over the place; the whole place was a mess!

"Best. Food fight. Ever." Nirnasha grinned. "Though I rarely say that about any food fight."

"And my sister was a part of it." Cenric almost chuckled.

Ignoring his teammates, Loki simply hopped over the table and made his way to Ruby, clapping his hands, drawing her attention.

"Well done, Ruby Rose." Loki congratulated, smiling. "You've won the battle of Beacon's lunchroom."

Ruby looked at him for a moment, before her eyes widened, recognizing him.

"LOKIII!" She squealed happily.

She then dashed towards him with her Semblance, jumping at him, as Loki caught her in a hug, swinging her around, Ruby kicking her legs up as she hugged him.

"Loki, I can't believe you're here!" Ruby continued to squeal happily. "I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Sorry for the disappearance, Rose Bud." Loki chuckled as he sat her down. "Things happened and I had to disappear."

"But why?" Ruby asked with a sad frown. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"It's…a long story." Loki sighed, unsure what to say. "I've been traveling Vale my whole life, trying to get things back together."

"Loki…" Ruby said glumly.

"But I'm back now and I'm not going anywhere!" Loki smirked.

Ruby's teammates, with the exception of the blonde girl, approached.

"Ruby, you know this guy?" The black haired girl asked.

"Guys, this is Loki Greene; he's been my best friend since childhood." Ruby introduced, before turning to Loki. "Loki, these are my teammates; Blake and Weiss."

"A pleasure to meet you." Loki smiled, bowing, then gestured to his teammates, as they approached. "These are my teammates here…"

After the introductions between Team RWBY and Team LNTC, Ruby eventually introduced them to their friends in Team JNPR, who had all regained consciousness, though they were all covered in food stains.

"Now, where did Yang go?" Loki asked, looking up at the ceiling. "She was last seen sent skyward…"

As if on cue, Yang crashed through the ceiling, falling right into Cenric's arms, bridal style, as Cenric saw her fall, then held his arms out to catch her.

Yang looked at Cenric for a moment, before smirking.

"Well, hello there, tall, red, and handsome~." She said confidently.

Cenric simply looked at her bluntly, then dropped her to the floor, making her yelp.

"Rude much!" Yang pouted, getting up and dusting her off.

"So, Mr. Hex," Weiss spoke up, looking up and down. "You were born in Vacuo, yes?"

"Born and raised, yes." Nirnasha nodded. "Recently exiled, in fact, and before you ask, no; it wasn't because I was human. It had more to do with my Semblance if anything."

"From your tone, you don't sound like you miss it." Weiss pointed out.

"To be honest, I'm glad to be out of the God-forsaken desert." Nirnasha shrugged. "Now I'm here to become a huntsman and make a difference."

"So you're Turoc Amant?" Blake remarked, referring to Turoc. "I've wondered who the author behind _Crimes of White Fang_ was."

"You mean you read my books?" Turoc raised a brow. "Well, I do appreciate-"

"Adam isn't very fond of it." She whispered to him. "He claims you slander his organization."

"It's not slander if it's true." Turoc sighed.

Suddenly, Nora snuck up from behind and grabbed Turoc in a bear hug, swinging him around.

"Awww, he's so adorable~!" Nora squealed loudly. "Can we keep him, Ren?"

"Hey hey HEY!" Turoc yipped in surprise. "Put me down! I'm not a toy!"

Yang walked up to Cenric, hands on her hips and glaring at him.

"You know, you could've set me down gently!" She scolded him. "Don't you know how to handle a lady?"

"From what I saw, you are no lady." Cenric huffed, looking away.

Before Yang could respond, Pyrrha approached.

"Cenric!" She called, jogging up to them, gaining Cenric's attention. "I almost can't believe you're here. I'm glad that I have no reason to doubt."

Cenric simply gave her a blank expression, then narrowed his eyes. They stood in silence for a moment, before Cenric finally turned away.

"Cenric?" Pyrrha said, wondering what her twin was thinking.

"The last thing I need is your honeyed words." He said coldly.

From afar, Sun looked on, smiling.

"I like these guys!"

He pretty much ignored the fact that his friend was covered in food stains as well, as well as having a scowl on his face.

Loki figured that this would no doubt this would be an interesting four years.

* * *

Emerald and Mercury walked into an abandoned warehouse, passing by several White Fang soldiers working, Emerald still fuming.

"How could I have let my guard down?" She grumbled angrily. "That punk should've been easy to take down! How could he have been so skilled?!"

"Come on, chill out, Em." Mercury urged with his hands behind his head. "It's not gonna do us any good."

"Cinder isn't gonna be happy when she hears that we messed up though." Emerald moaned.

"Messed up what exactly?"

Both of them froze, before seeing their leader emerge from the shadows; Cinder Fall herself; a woman with fair skin, ashen-black hair and bright amber eyes. She wore lipstick and violet eyeshadow. She wore a dark-red, off-the-shoulders, v-neck mini dress with yellow designs. There was a blue feather-like accessory on her right hip, at the top of an open portion of her dress. The dress ends in an upside-down triangular tail in the back, ending just above the knees.

There was also a baseball diamond-shaped keyhole on the dress' upper back at the same height as her chest. The sleeves end in a triangle shape, which are wrapped or tied around her middle finger, with the gold designs of the sleeve taking over at the wrists. Her fingernails were painted dark red. She wore black shorts underneath her dress, as well as a black choker on her neck. She had a gold loop earring with a black gem dangling from it on her right ear. She had dark, glass, high-heeled shoes and a jeweled anklet on her right leg. On her upper back, in the keyhole of her dress, she had a black tattoo of what appears to be a pair of high heel shoes placed sole to sole, forming a heart shape inside.

"Cinder!" Emerald gasped.

"No need to sound so surprised, my dear Emerald." Cinder softly said. "Now, what seems to be troubling you? You seem…frustrated about something."

"Well…" Emerald hesitated a bit. "You see, we…"

"We were about to deal with that bookshop keeper," Mercury blurted out. "But then some vigilante came in and somehow got lucky in moping the floors with us."

Emerald glared harshly at her partner, who simply shrugged.

"A vigilante, you say?" Cinder mused. "What did he look like?"

"Young, about sixteen." Emerald clarified. "Wore green-"

"Green…" Cinder mused, turning away for a moment.

Emerald and Mercury looked to each other, confused, before looking to their leader, who faced them once again.

"No matter, it can't be helped now." She said. "Besides, we have bigger things to take care of…"

* * *

 **And there's the new chapter! Finally! I apologize if this chapter seems rushed, I will do my best to fix it up as much as I can, but I've been busy working two jobs, so please bear with me! Now, we finally see the forming of Team LNTC! How will things play out for our new heroes in future chapters? Stick around and find out! Be sure to review!**


	6. Combat Initiation

Team L.N.T.C.

Chapter Six: Volume One

Combat Initiation

The next day, the members of Team LNTC were in the locker room, prepping their gear for their combat assessment, as recommended by Ozpin. Loki sat on a bench, looking over his equipment one last time. Looking over his katana-guns, he sighed at the memory of his father crafting the gun blades for Loki's tenth birthday, even to when he was trained to use the blades.

The memories of his childhood brought a tear to his eye.

"LOOOOOKIII!"

He turned, and smiled, seeing Ruby dash around the corner, practically dragging poor Jaune along.

"Whoa, slow down, Ruby!" Jaune pleaded. "I can't exactly keep up!"

"Hey, Loki!" Ruby smiled happily, as she approached, finally releasing her grip on Jaune. "Jaune, this is Loki; he's been my best friend since we were little!" She turned to Loki. "Loki, this is Jaune Arc; my first friend when I first came to Beacon!"

Loki looked the blonde boy up and down, remembering him well from the food fight, looking much cleaner than he did at the end where he was covered head to toe in food.

"Good to see you again." Loki nodded, before chuckling a bit. "And much cleaner, no less."

"Yeah, sorry you had to see that." Jaune chuckled, embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it; I found the fight quite entertaining." Loki chuckled, before frowning. "Until Miss Goodwitch came in and chewed you all out."

"Yeah, that part wasn't fun." Ruby laughed a bit embarrassed.

"Still, it is good to officially meet you, Mr. Jaune Arc." Loki smirked, holding out his.

Nodding, Jaune reached out and grabbed Loki's hand to shake it… only for it to emit a loud farting sound, startling Jaune.

"What the-" Jaune gasped, jerking his hand away, then looked at the trickster in confusion, who simply howled with laughter.

The trickster pulled the glove off his hand and held his hand up, revealing a whoopee cushion tied around it.

"The old whoopee cushion in the hand trick!" Loki laughed. "It never gets old!"

As Loki laughed, Ruby suddenly joined in laughter, much to Jaune's confusion.

"Oh, boy, that trick gets me every time!" She laughed.

"I still remember when we first met!" Loki chimed in. "I acted so shy, and when you shook my hand," He squeezed his hand, the whoopee cushion making the fart sound. "Haha, the look on your face!"

The laughter then subsided, the two finally calming down.

"Man, I needed that." Loki let out a blissful sigh. "Again, it's good to see you again, Ruby."

"You too, Loki." Ruby smiled. "I hope you kick serious butt in the combat assessment!"

The two hugged once again, then Ruby left the locker room, while Jaune stayed, the two remained in awkward silence, before Loki spoke.

"So, you were Ruby's first friend at Beacon, huh?" Loki remarked, removing the whoopee cushion and putting his glove back on.

"Yeah, we've gotten along well." Jaune nodded. "She's helped me out quite a lot."

"That's Ruby alright." Loki chuckled. "Always wanting to help others."

"But she never did mention you though." Jaune then frowned. "Why is that?"

"Probably because I disappeared years ago and that may have bothered her." Loki frowned.

"Why did you though?" Jaune asked, curious.

Loki took a minute to gather his thoughts, before giving his answer.

"That's…private." He said glumly. "I'm not quite ready to talk about that with just anyone."

Jaune considered it for a moment, before turning away.

"I understand." He said. "But I'm sure Ruby would be willing to talk about it with you one day."

After Jaune left, Loki looked down a bit, putting a hand over his chest before sighing.

"I hope so."

* * *

Inside the combat room, the students were all seated, eagerly waiting for Professor Goodwitch to make the introductions. In the far back of the class, Mercury and Emerald sat at the far back of the view stands, alongside their leader, Cinder Fall, as they waited patiently, all three of them dressed in their student disguises.

"I wonder what new students are comin' in." Mercury mused, lazily leaning back in his seat.

"I don't think it really matters, Merc." Emerald sighed. "To be honest, I don't really care."

"Well, it would do us some good to see who these new students are." Cinder interjected. "It can't hurt to know what other enemies we may face."

The three turned their attention to the center of the arena, as Goodwitch stood at the center of the arena. Glynda appeared to be a middle-aged woman that has very light-blonde hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes were bright green and she wore thin ovular glasses. She had dangling teal earrings that match the hanging pendant on her collar.

She wore a white long-sleeved, pleated top that has a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flare in pleats at the wrist. Her lower body was covered by a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black-brown stockings.

She wore black boots with bronze heels, and a cape that is purple inside and black on the outside. The cut of the cape was stylized to end in flames and arrows, with a row of diamond-shaped bronze beads on the back. Above this line of beads appears an emblem of a tiara that is her personal symbol.

* * *

"As you can see, we've received new students yesterday." She declared. "And today, we will begin the combat assessment of these new students." She then turned to the entrance, where the door led to the locker room. "Gentlemen! You may enter!"

The doors opened, and the members of Team LNTC entered, all in their mission outfits, garnering several whispers of the other students, interested, while the members of teams RWBY and JNPR seemed excited to see what the boys can do. Ruby and Jaune seemed eager to see them in action, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Nora, and Ren also seemed interested.

Pyrrha, however, seemed concerned, as she looked on, as Cenric gave her a cold glance, before quickly refocusing his attention to the ring. She sighed inwardly, worried that her brother's grudge may result in him taking the wrong path.

'If I don't do something to patch things up soon,' She thought to herself. 'I may end up losing him forever.'

* * *

Up higher in the spectator seats, however, Mercury was the first to recognize the leader of Team LNTC; and he seemed genuinely surprised by it.

"Hey, look who it is!" He smirked, prompting his partner to look.

As Emerald looked, however, her eyes grew wide with anger, and felt her blood boil, as her sights lay upon Loki.

"What the hell is HE doing here?!" She growled.

"So that's the one who foiled you?" Cinder mused, her sights set on Loki. "He seems to have grown some…"

Emerald and Mercury looked to her with confusion, then back to each other, wondering what's going through their leaders head right now.

* * *

"Now, each student will face them in one on one combat, to assess their skills!" Goodwitch continued, regaining the attention of the students. "Volunteers are appreciated, but otherwise, students will be selected at random. So, up first; Loki Greene!"

Loki stepped forward, bowing before the students with a smirk on his face.

* * *

Emerald was already irritated with the very sight of the trickster; now this seemed to drive her mad even more. She moved to stand up, but was stopped by Mercury.

"Before you ask, look around." He warned. "There's no way you'd get away with murder here. Especially with all these students about."

Emerald made to protest, but Cinder spoke up.

"Do not fret, my dear." She said. "Soon, you will have your chance."

Reluctantly, Emerald sat back down.

* * *

"I'll fight!"

Everyone looked to see a silver haired student rise from his seat, the student wearing a mask that covered his eyes. He wore a black jumpsuit, with a dark blue vest that fell to his waist, a black cloak, a blue neckerchief, two black and blue shoulder pads, a pair of blue knee-high boots, and a pair of blue fingerless gloves. He also wore a bulky blue gauntlet on his left forearm, and had a falchion sheathed at his side.

"Ah, Marcus Azul." Goodwitch looked over to him. "Very well! Come forward!"

The student came forward, as the students watched eagerly, though Mercury looked at the student with curiosity.

* * *

"Marcus, huh…" He mused silently, remembering the name of his father.

* * *

"Now, take your positions!" Goodwitch declared.

The two combatants bowed respectfully, then Loki drew out his katana-pistols, switching them to their katana forms, then took a fighting stance. Marcus then drew out his falchion, taking a sword stance of his own.

* * *

Marcury's eyes suddenly lit up at the sight of the sword; one-handed, single-edged sword with a blue gem attached to the pommel and the handle was black.

"Where the hell did he get that sword?!" Mercury growled, not to loud, but loud enough for Emerald to hear, who looked at him with confusion.

* * *

The large screen at the end of the class displayed the combatants' aura gauges.

"You may begin when ready!" Goodwitch declared sternly. "The winner is decided once the other submits or their aura gauge enters the red!"

The combatants' took their time sizing each other up, then Loki made the first move; dashing forward, his Polydeuces blade making contact against Marcus' falchion, then swung his Castor blade, but Marcus managed to jump back to avoid the swing. Pressing his attack, Loki took several more swings, his masked opponent blocking every swing, backing up, trying to defend himself from Loki's fast swings.

Jumping back, Loki switched his Castor blade to its pistol form, he opened fired, then Marcus brought his arm up, the bulky gauntlet slimming down, transforming into an arm shield, blocking the bullet fire.

The two fighters circled each other, Loki still smirking, while Marcus seemed impassive, his falchion gripped tightly in his hand, no doubt giving the trickster an intense gaze from under the mask.

Smirking, Loki then crossed his blades, his aura glowing, as he created several projections of himself, the projections surrounding Marcus, all laughing, though Marcus returned a smirk, the waved his falchion, his aura glowing a dark grey color, before releasing a wave of energy, the wave dispelling the projections, much to Loki's shock.

"Don't be so surprised, Trickster." Marcus declared. "My Semblance, 'Nullify', simply cancels out yours."

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeves." Loki retorted, recovering from the surprise.

Marcus made to charge forward, but Loki simply smirked at this, then quickly switched a dial on his weapons after switching them to their pistol forms, the lights on the pistols turning a light blue color, then fired, and instead of normal bullets, it fired a light blue beam, the beam hitting the floor under Marcus' feet, causing him to slip and fall with a yelp. Seeing his opportunity, he switched his Castor weapon to its katana form, then drove it forward, but Marcus managed to block the attack with his shield, then rolled away, getting back to his feet.

Smirking, Loki switched both weapons to their pistol forms, and with a turn of a dial on the guns, the lights on the weapons turned a bright red color, then fired a pair of fireballs. Marcus blocked the first one with his shield, then rolled out of the way of the second one, before bringing up his shield to block a sword swing from Loki, before swinging his falchion, but Loki managed to jump back, dodging the swing.

Turning the dial again, the guns light turned to a bright yellow color, he then fired, the guns shooting out bolts of lightning, the bolts exploding as they struck the floor, sending Marcus to the floor. Taking advantage, Loki moved swiftly, crossing his blades into an x formation, driving them into the ground, trapping Marcus with his blades pressing against his neck.

"I give up!" Marcus suddenly called out.

Backing off, Loki looked up at the screen, seeing that their aura gauges hadn't really decreased that much.

"You sure?" Loki asked, curiously.

"I never intended to win in the first place." Marcus shrugged, getting to his feet. "I simply wished to see what you were capable of."

Loki gave him a suspicious glare. Goodwitch DID say that the loser must submit before a winner is decided, so ones aura doesn't always must be put in the red.

Still, a victory by submission is a victory regardless.

"A well fought battle, both of you." Goodwitch remarked, standing before the two. "Still, you two have much to learn before you're ready to be called true huntsmen."

"Yes, Headmistress!" Marcus declared respectfully.

"Now, you two may take your seats, as we move on to the next one."

As Marcus returned to his seat with his team, Loki looked to see Ruby waving him over, ecstatically. Smiling, Loki walked up and took a seat right next to his childhood friend.

"That was amazing, Loki!" She said, smiling. "The way you moved, the way you fought; it was awesome!"

"I'd say the same thing about Marcus," Loki remarked, looking over to where Marcus sat. "He fought like a true swordsman. And his Semblance is something else!" He then looked over to Yang, who sat beside Ruby. "And hello there, Yang Xiao Long."

"I remember you, Loki Greene," Yang said, glaring at him. "I also remember how you changed my hair to GREEN for a week! Chased you down all over Patch!"

"Worth it," Loki said with a snide chuckle. "The look on your face was priceless!"

"Except for the beat down you received afterward." Yang retorted. "You better not be planning anything like that here."

"No promises," Loki said coyly, before looking back to the ring. "Now, let's see how Nirnasha fairs…"

* * *

Up above, Cinder considered them, then smirked.

"He's shown impressive skill." She remarked. "I can see how he foiled you, Emerald."

"He's no doubt skilled with a sword," Emerald admitted. "And his Semblance, unlike mine, doesn't just affect a single person; anyone can see them, but probably won't tell between the fake and the real thing."

"And those guns of his can switch between gun mode and sword mode," Mercury added. "The guns seemed to have varying effects, depending on the type of dust they use."

"How interesting." Cinder mused. "He seems to have improved quite a bit since we last met…"

"Cinder?" Emerald looked at her leader with a quizzical look. "How do you know him?"

"Let's just say that my mentor and his father were 'well acquainted'." Cinder chuckled wickedly. "And that my master was the one who inspired my fixation with fire in the first place."

Confused, Emerald looked over to Mercury, who simply shrugged, before returning their attention to the next match.

* * *

After repairing the combat ring with her Semblance, Goodwitch addressed the students.

"Now, next up," She then pointed her riding crop to Nirnasha. "Nirnasha Hex! Step forward!"

Nervously, Nirnasha stood at the center of the ring, looking about as the crowd watched eagerly.

"Umm…" Nirnasha looked on, as he awkwardly waved a hand. "Hi."

Several students whispered to one another, others raised their hands, hoping to be picked, others didn't seem interested. Without a decision, the randomizer started on the screen, shuffling through the various names of other students, before finally landing on a name.

"Maurus Vantablack! Step forward!"

With a grunt, the lumbering student rose from his spot, making his way to the ring. He was tall, wore a black cloak that seemed to cover his whole form and an intimidating looking Grimm mask, on the back of his cloak is his symbol, an outline of a Beowolf skull. In his hand he held a large two-bladed ax, which he named Apocalypse, similar to that of Peter Port's weapon; except Ventablack's weapon was much larger and more destructive.

Nirnasha looked on as Vantablack practically towered over him, no doubt looking down at him through that mask.

"Um… Nice to meet you…?" Nirnasha spoke nervously, slightly intimidated by his opponent's sheer size and appearance.

Vantablack simply growled aggressively, making Nirnasha swallow nervously.

Taking their positions on opposite sides of the ring, the two waited as the screen projecting their aura levels.

"So, no hard feelings if one of us loses?" Nirnasha inquired nervously.

Instead of replying, Vantablack simply hefted his ax over his head, before giving a response in a dark tone, "None."

He then brought the ax crashing down into the ground, sending a powerful shockwave towards Nirnasha, who barely had enough time to dodge out of the way of the blast.

"What the heck, dude?" Nirnasha managed to choke out, managing to pull his scepter out. "We haven't even started yet!"

Ignoring him, Vantablack unleashed another shockwave, prompting Nirnasha to jump out of the way, before throwing several lightning bolts at him. The dark student simply swung his ax at the first two bolts, then brought his ax down on the third one.

Deciding to go on the offensive, Nirnasha moved in quickly, swinging his scepter right into Ventablack's chin. Much to his surprise, he didn't even seem phased by the attack, as he simply looked down at him, then grabbed his arm and hurled him in the other direction, sending him skidding across the ground.

* * *

"Damn, I don't like Nirn's odds here," Turoc remarked, grimacing a bit. "That Vantablack guy sure knows how to lay the smackdown on someone."

"From what I know, Vantablack fought tooth and nail just to survive in the streets of Vauo," Cenric remarked, observing the fight. "Life has been difficult for him since he grew up poor, but he fought his way up to where he is now. Even during tournaments in Mistral, he fought with the viciousness of a demon "

"Not to mention he's unruly and aggressive, and that ax of his, infused with earth and wind Dust, can deliver powerful shockwaves," Turoc added. "I wonder how Nirnasha will turn the tables…"

* * *

Struggling to his feet, Nirnasha looked up to see Vantablack slowly approach, lifting his ax over his head, preparing to send another shockwave. Acting quickly, Nirnasha fired another lightning bolt, the bolt hitting Vantablack dead-on in the face, making him stumble. Taking advantage, Nirnasha pressed his attack, firing more lightning bolts, witling down his opponent's aura gauge; not much, but just enough to put him closer in the yellow.

"Got any other tricks up your sleeves?" Nirnasha boasted.

His smile faded, however, as Vantablack flipped his ax around, as the head of the ax retracted its blades, and the handle forming the barrel of what looked like a cannon.

"Plenty," Vantablack responded bluntly, pointing his cannon at Nirnasha.

"Oh shit." The necromancer grimaced.

With a squeeze of the trigger, Vantablack fired a cannonball, which Nirnasha managed to dodge, but he wasn't lucky enough to dodge the second cannonball, which hit him square in the gut, sending him tumbling to the ground, sending his aura into the yellow and nearing the orange zone.

Struggling to get up, Nirnasha, rubbed his aching stomach, looking up to see Vantablack aiming his weapon towards him once more.

"Well then," Nirnasha tutted, managing to shrug off the pain. "Time to bring out the big guns!"

Putting his scepter away, he clapped his hands together, then rubbed them together repeatedly, creating a light blue aura around him, then split them apart, creating an aura field around him.

* * *

"I wonder what he's doing now?" Mercury remarked.

"I'm not sure," Emerald answered. "But whatever it is, it just might turn the tables in this fight."

* * *

Stretching out his left hand, he created what looked like a glyph similar to Weiss', then clenched his fist around it as though he were grabbing onto something.

Vantablack fired another cannonball, then Nirnasha thrust his arm forward, then a large skeleton-like arm, covered in metal armor, emerged from the glyph, its fist hitting the oncoming cannonball, smashing it to pieces.

The students gasped in shock and amazement at what had happened, all looking at the spectral-looking skeleton arm that just appeared from the necro-glyph.

Vantablack continued to fire cannonballs, as Nirnasha approached, who simply smashed the projectiles with the spectral arms. Switching his cannon back to its ax form, Vantablack swung his weapon downward, but Nirnasha sent his arm forward, catching the ax with the spectral arm. Creating another necro-glyph around his right hand, he swung a fist, sending a spectral fist into Vantablack, sending him tumbling across the floor, sending his aura gauge into the orange zone.

Breathing heavy, Nirnasha looked towards his opponent, who remained unmoving, then smiled thinking the fight was over. To his dismay, however, Vantablack slowly rose to his feet, his eyes no doubt locked with the necromancer.

'Is this guy for real?' Nirnasha thought to himself in dismay. 'How is this guy still able to stand?!"

Pulling out his scepter, Nirnasha prepared for another round, only for Vantablack to fall to his knees, letting out an exhausted breath. Nirnasha relaxed his stance, looking on in confusion.

"Maurus Vantablack, do you yield?" Goodwitch asked.

Vantablack looked up and growled aggressively, before letting out a defeated sigh.

"I yield."

Various students started whispering amongst themselves; some of them were quite stunned that Maurus Vantablack, one of the most terrifying students, was defeated by a newcomer.

"You both fought well!" Goodwitch praised, before facing the necromancer. "Nirnasha Hex, your combat technique could use some work, but your Semblance seems quite powerful. With a bit more practice, I believe that you would make a fine Huntsman."

"Thank you, Mrs. Goodwitch!" Nirnasha nodded.

"Mr. Vantablack, you still need to learn other strategies." Goodwitch went on, facing the darker student. "Might doesn't always make right! You must learn to use other methods in combat situations, not just overwhelming the enemy with strength alone."

"…Yes, Headmistress."

"Now, you may take your seats so we may proceed with the next match!"

Nirnasha turned to go to his seat with the other students.

"HEY!"

The necromancer jumped a bit, then turned to see Vantablack on his feet, now standing over him.

"Y-Yes?" He said timidly.

Vantablack then reached up and pulled his mask down, revealing a dark-skinned face with a scar over his left eye, both eyes were red and his hair was black. Slowly, he then held out his hand, giving a genuine smile.

"Good fight." He said. "I look forward to a rematch."

This surprised Nirnasha, but he smiled in return and shook the lumbering student's hand.

"And I look forward to it."

Maurus then returned to his spot where Marcus sat, then Nirnasha himself proceeded to go to his seat next to Loki.

"Well, that happened." He said plainly.

"Holy crap, that was AWESOME!" Yang said, wild-eyed and a wicked grin on her face. "The way you threw lightning bolts and those skeleton arms! And the way you used them like…like…" Her excitement died down rather quickly, before she came to a sort of realization, before giving an angry look. "Wait a minute! You're ribbin' my style!"

"I didn't realize I was." Nirnasha chuckled. "But no; my Semblance is flexible enough to use it in other fighting styles, with or without my weapon. If you'd like, we can spar sometime, so I can demonstrate further."

"Oh hell yeah!" Yang smirked.

"Next up is Turoc and Cenric." Loki declared, looking towards his other teammates. "I wonder what they can bring…"

* * *

"I thought that Loki kid was impressive," Mercury remarked. "But that Nirnasha guy is on a whole new level!"

"From the looks of things, he's not very adapted at using his weapon," Emerald said. "But he does seem more used to using his Semblance, which…I guess manipulate spirits of the dead?"

Cinder was barely paying attention, for her gaze was more set on Loki Greene, her eyes with interest in them.

'I wonder if he remembers me…' She thought to herself.

* * *

Turoc Amant was next to step up, as he walked to the center of the ring. Several students raised their hands; some whispered amongst themselves, others questioned why he was so short.

"I'd like to fight!"

Heads turned to see a boy with clean blonde hair stand up. The boy had smooth light skin and beautiful hazel eyes. He wore a white jacket with a black outline with a swan motif on the back of the jacket, with a white sleeveless shirt under it, a pair of white jeans with black buttons and a pair of white sneakers. He also had a longsword sheathed at his side.

He looked so handsome that some of the female students, with the exception of the girls of Team RWBY and Nora and Pyrrha, started fawning over him, most of them squealing as he walked down the ail to the combat ring.

"Ah, Svan Arwyn." Mrs. Goodwitch said approvingly. "I'm glad that you would wish to volunteer. I'd assume you would wish to sit this out."

"Never judge one by their appearance, ma'am." Svan smiled. "Besides, one must always keep up their training!"

"Just don't get your face smashed in, Pretty Boy!" Cadrin Winchester shouted.

Svan simply waved him off with a huff, before facing Turoc.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Amant." Svan greeted, before looking his opponent up and down. "You're…much shorter than I originally thought."

"Don't sweat it too much, Pretty Boy," Turoc smirked, pulling out his crossbow. "You'll get to look me in the eyes after I'm done kicking your ass."

"Oh ho! Confident, are we?" Svan smirked, drawing out a longsword with a swan wing hand guard and twirled it expertly, before pointing the blade at Turoc. "Well, let's see what you can do!"

At the ring of the starting bell, Svan dashed forward, swinging his sword, only for Turoc to bring his crossbow up, a bayonet slid out from a slot under the bolt, and the blades clashed together, before the two fighters backed away from each other, then started circling each other, trying to find a weak spot. Turoc then jumped back and fired two bolts, but Svan quickly split his longsword into two thinner swords, then knocked the bolts away, then charged forward, their blades clashing once more.

Stepping back gracefully, Svan put his blades back together, changing his weapon into a carbine, opening fire on his opponent, who simply jumped up, his tails spinning, allowing him to take to the air and dodging the bullets, which surprised Svan.

"You can fly with those?" He asked, curious.

"These tails aren't just for show!" Turoc smirked, aiming his crossbow.

The bolts firing upon him, Svan flipped backward, taking a moment to smirk, as he started to undo his jacket.

"Well, if that's how it's going to be," Svan said. "Then this swan shall take flight as well!"

With that, he slipped off his jacket, revealing a pair of beautiful wings resembling that of swan wings, and he took flight, his twin swords in hand. Turoc fired several more bolts at him, only for Svan to swat them away, as he dashed forward, swinging his blades, but Turoc managed to swiftly loop over the attack and over Svan himself, before delivering a bladed kick to Svan's back, chipping into the Swan-Faunus' aura a bit, before flying backward, launching several bolts, chipping into Svan's aura even more.

Recovering from the attack, Svan gave a snide smirk.

"I believe I've held back long enough," He said, crossing his blades. "I think it's about time I leave you Dazzled!"

A golden aura surrounded him, and with a wave of his wings, he unleashed a bright, blinding light, which seemed to cause everyone in the room to go blind, Turoc included, as the Fox-Faunus shook his head, rubbing his eyes, trying to alleviate the blinding effects.

Taking advantage, Svan swooped in and delivered swift, powerful sword attacks to Turoc's midsection, then sending a powerful ax kick to his head, sending him crashing into the floor and taking a chunk out of his aura.

* * *

"Damn, the tables have certainly turned for Turoc," Loki remarked. "And not in a good way."

"Svan was referred to as the 'ugly duckling' in his family," Blake said. "But ever since he hit puberty and became as handsome as he is, people started fawning over him, and he used his appearance to his advantage."

"Not to mention his Semblance can blind opponents, giving him plenty of openings to strike," Weiss added.

"Hopefully, Turoc can turn things around," Nirnasha said.

* * *

Getting to his feet, Turoc managed to shake off the blindness, before gazing at his opponent.

'Looks like that Semblance of his is going to be trouble.' He thought, pulling out a special pair of sunglasses. 'Good thing I came prepared!'

Putting on the sunglasses, Turoc aimed his crossbow, firing several bolts, but Svan managed to bat them away with his twin swords, before turning them back to his carbine and opened fire, the Fox-Faunus dodging every bullet. Smirking, Svan decided to use his Semblance once again, his wings closed together and started to glow, before spreading them apart again, creating that bright light once more. As the light faded, Svan looked towards Turoc, who appeared to be staggering a bit, an arm over his face. Smirking, he made to charge forward, only for Turoc to raise his crossbow with one hand, firing a bolt at Svan, which hit him square in the chest, taking his aura down a bit.

Stopping, Svan couldn't understand what just happened. Wasn't Turoc rendered blind? Looking closely, he noticed that Turoc was wearing a special set of sunglasses.

Shaking off the surprise, Svan combined his swords back into a carbine and opened fire, Turoc managed to swiftly dodge again, before flying over, then pulled out a wing clamp from his jacket. Flying over a sword slash from Svan, Turoc tossed the clamp at Svan, which clamped around his wings, holding his wings together and preventing him from flying, then Turoc flew upwards and pointed his crossbow, which was loaded with many bolts, before firing, hitting Svan with a shower of bolts.

As Svan hit the ground, the buzzer went off, signaling his defeat, as he got to his knees, before Turoc stood before him, offering a hand. Accepting it, Svan allowed himself to be pulled closer, as Turoc looked him dead in the eyes and smirked.

"Told you you'd get to look me in the eyes after I beat you." Turoc declared.

"You've certainly kept your word." Svan chuckled, before getting to his feet.

"A well fought battle from the both of you!" Mrs. Goodwitch declared. "Mr. Amant, you're impressive skills with that crossbow are impressive. And your use of various gadgets was quite useful in compensating for a lack of Semblance. Though I wouldn't recommend relying on that too often."

"Of course, ma'am." Turoc nodded.

"And Mr. Arwyn, your skills have certainly improved." She went on, facing the Swan-Faunus. "But you must continue practicing in attacking and defending yourself, rather than trying to show off."

"I understand, headmistress." Svan nodded.

The two combatants shook hands, then Svan gathered his jacket and returned to his spot next to Marcus, while Turoc took a seat next to Nirnasha.

"So, what do you guys think?" Turoc asked, stretching his limbs out, relaxing in his seat.

"I admit, your skills are quite impressive," Weiss said. "Despite not having a Semblance, your tools and skills with the crossbow help give you an edge in combat."

"Why thank you, Snow White," Turoc said, patting his crossbow. "Angelina appreciates your praise."

"Your weapons name is 'Angelina'?" Blake asked, raising a brow. "That sounds like an unusual name for a weapon."

"I'd easily say the same thing about all of your weapons, Shadow Cat." Turoc countered. "Besides, the name of my weapon is a different story from yours."

"And why is that?" Weiss asked, curious.

"It's complicated." Turoc shrugged. "Look, it's one story I have no intention of telling."

"Now it's Cenric's turn," Loki said, looking to his fourth teammate. "He looks like he's built for battle though. I wonder who'll be brave enough to fight him."

* * *

Cenric stood at the center of the ring, the other students muttering amongst themselves about him. He tuned them out, and simply focused his sights on that of Pyrrha, who sat in between Jaune and Nora. His eyes narrowed at her as if daring her to raise her hand, challenging her. He wanted nothing more than to prove that he was the stronger twin.

Pyrrha swallowed nervously from her brother's gaze. That stone, cold glare made her fearful that he may do something that may end with someone getting hurt, or worse. Slowly, she made to raise her hand, when suddenly…

"HEY! I'll take him on!"

Pyrrha almost sighed in relief at Cardin Winchester's declaration, as he shot from his seat, his hand high in the sky. But then again, she also felt sorry for the brash boy, for he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"Ah, Mr. Winchester." Mrs. Goodwitch said as Cardin made his way to the ring. "Wish to show your strength, do you?"

"I already know I'm the strongest here!" Cardin boasted, before glaring at Cenric. "Besides, Soldier Boy and I have a score to settle!"

"…Do we?" Cenric said, uncaringly. "I remember no such thing."

"I remember you clear as day, asshole!" Cardin growled.

"If I cared, I would remember." Cenric shrugged.

"We fought in the tournament in Mistral, remember?" Cardin said, losing his patience.

"Oh, I remember now," Cenric said, almost mockingly so. "The weak one."

"What?!" Cardin growled.

"You're just a big fish in a small pond," Cenric remarked. "Everything you have had been given to you by your parent's money. The strength I've earned, you have none."

"Why you!" Cardin snarled, pulling out his mace. "We're settling this NOW!"

Sighing, Cenric simply armed himself with his rail-shield and hammer-gun, not even preparing a stance.

* * *

"You got this, hot stuff!" Yang blurted out, only to see that Cenric isn't looking her way. "Huh. He's a tough nut to crack."

"For a moment there, I thought you were going to shout out something lewd." Weiss winced.

"Would you like me to?" Yang asked with a smirk.

"NO!" Her friends shouted, making Yang cringe.

"Alright, alright, no need to shout," Yang said, shrinking back into her seat.

"Still, he seems pretty confident," Ruby said, her eyes fixed on the fighters in the ring. "Especially if he's faced Cardin before."

"They crossed paths several times." Pyrrha declared. "They fought several times in many tournaments, in both Mistral AND Vale. And every time, Cenric would always emerge victorious, with Cardin becoming his rival, though Cenric never acknowledged him."

"You seem to know a lot about this Cenric guy," Jaune remarked.

"Well, that's because-" She paused, hesitant at first, before sighing. "He's my twin brother."

The girls of Team RWBY and the other members of Team JNPR seemed shocked by this revelation. Even the boys of Team LNTC seemed surprised by this.

"Whoa, hold the phone!" Yang bleated. "P-Money, you mean to tell me that that black armored ball of sexy is your BRO?!"

"Yes, and I would appreciate it if you never refer to him by that name ever again," Pyrrha said with a sigh.

"But how come you never told us about him?" Jaune asked.

"That's because we've been on bad terms recently," Pyrrha said, looking towards her brother. "We used to be so much closer when we were little. But now, it's like every time he looks my way, it's always with a look of disdain."

"What happened to make him hate you?" Nirnasha asked.

"We had a falling out over me going to Beacon," Pyrrha said. "We both worked so hard to become huntsmen, only for our father to get admission for me, but not for Cenric. As a result, Cenric was outraged." She shivered. "A few days, before I was to leave for Beacon, he challenged me for the admission. He was much stronger than me, and I almost ended up losing. But at the last minute…" She looked down at her hand. "With my sword and Semblance, I won by severing his hand, and as a result, severed our bond. Since then, Cenric held a grudge and basically became a shell of who he used to be. Gone was the happy, fun loving, hardworking brother I used to know, replaced by a hateful man full of spite. That must've been months ago now, since the incident."

"Damn, that must've been terrible," Yang remarked.

"It was." Pyrrha nodded sadly. "Now all I want is to have the brother I used to know and love back."

Yang looked back to the ring, deep in thought. She could never imagine severing the bond she has with her sister. They would have arguments sometimes, but they would never get into a fight that might destroy their sister bond.

"Well, let's see what Cenric can do for now," Loki suggested. "We'll deal with the problems as we go."

* * *

The fighters stood ready, then at the sound of the starting bell, Cardin charged forward, swinging his mace, only for Cenric to smack him in the face with his shield, then swung his hammer against the back off Cardin's legs, knocking him off his feet, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Scrambling back to his feet, Cardin gripped the handle of his mace tightly, glaring at Cenric, who didn't look too concerned; in fact, he didn't seem worried at all, just looking back at Cardin with that bored expression. Charging forward, Cardin swung his mace, only for Cenric to bat the attack away with his shield, then hit him in the face with his hammer, then again, before hitting him with an uppercut attack with his hammer, pulling the trigger, the barrels along the head of the hammer firing off, the recoil speeding up the swing, sending Cardin flying into the air, before he crashed into the ground.

* * *

"Man, Cardin's getting crushed." Jaune cringed.

"Cenric has always been the powerhouse," Pyrrha said. "No matter how big the opponent might be, he'd always bring them down with overwhelming force."

"I almost feel bad for Cardin." Blake chimed in, cringing from the one-sided beat down. "He was outmatched from the start."

"Hopefully, Cenric'll have enough mercy to end this quickly," Loki added.

* * *

Cardin struggled to his feet, his vision dazed from the assault, as he looked up to see Cenric simply standing there, arms crossed and bored, his spear driven into the ground.

"Last chance to tap out," Cenric suggested bluntly.

"In…your…dreams…" Cardin panted, raising his mace weakly before charging.

Sighing, Cenric simply batted the attack away with his shield, then struck him in the chest with a palm strike, sending him crashing into the force field wall. Then, using his Polarity Semblance on Cardin's armor, he pulled in towards him, reeled his cybernetic hand back, then as Cardin got closer, Cenric threw a haymaker right into Cardin's face, sending him crashing into the ground, sending Cardin's aura into the red and gaining a loud gasp from the other students.

The buzzer going off for the match to end, Cenric simply gathered his weapons, leaving the ring, while the other members of Team CRDL took Cardin away to the infirmary. As Cenric walked up the steps to his team, he looked up towards Pyrrha gazing at him, a sad look on her face. The stare off lasted for a bit before Cenric settled next to Turoc.

"That was some helluva fight there, Soldier Boy~," Yang said confidently. "I bet you're tough in other places as well~!"

Cenric didn't pay her any mind; didn't even turn her way; simply sat there, watching the ring as if expecting Mrs. Goodwitch to give another lecture.

"Cenric…" Pyrrha said hesitantly. "You performed well."

Cenric, however, did not respond; his gaze locked on Mrs. Goodwitch.

"Despite all that happened, I'm glad you're here." Pyrrha smiled weakly. "I know you worked so hard to-"

"Stop. Talking."

Pyrrha buckled a bit from the tone of her brother's voice.

Yang looked at the two, worried that things may escalate if things don't change soon.

* * *

"Damn, those fights were interesting!" Mercury said with a grin. "Especially that Cenric guy! Built like a tank and fights like a tank! And his Semblance gives him even more of an edge."

"Quite the interesting adversaries we have here." Cinder remarked. "We'll have to be careful around these four."

"Milady, you still haven't told us about Loki," Emerald spoke up, though not too loudly. "Just who is he?"

"Not much I can say, I'm afraid." Cinder said. "All will be revealed in time."

Emerald was suspicious at first but decided to let the matter be, for now at least.

* * *

 **Finally, the new chapter is up! Sorry if it seems a bit rushed, I pulled an all-nighter with this one, but I'm afraid that I may have rushed some of the fights, especially Cenric's. I think I may have tried too hard trying to make him seem like a powerhouse. I hope I didn't make him or my other OC's too OP. I'm trying to make adjustments as much as I can, so I hope you guys bear with me.**

 **By the way, some of the characters, such as Maurus VAntablack and Svan Arwyn were created with help from NewDreamer, another fan fiction writer who writes awesome stories, huge thanks to him for his help, go check him out.**

 **Marcus Azul was loosely inspired by Lucina from Fire Emblem Awakening, mostly the outfit. His last name 'Azul' is 'blue' in Spanish.**

 **Maurus Vantablack was inspired by the Slavic deity Chernobog, whose name means black god and is portrayed as a demon with a frightening appearance.**

 **Svan Arwyn is inspired by the Ugly Duckling, his name 'Svan meaning 'swan' and his last name 'Arwyn' meaning 'white'.**

 **Several other things I should talk about; Team LNTC themselves, so here it is:**

 **Loki Greene is loosely inspired by Loki from the Marvel Universe, rather than the Loki from Norse mythology, his Semblance, 'the Trick', based on Loki's astral projection and illusion casting. Although I may have inspired him too much by Loki. I originally was going to give him magic, but I didn't want him to seem overpowered, so I had that part cut. He's also sixteen, by the way. His weapons, 'Polydeuces' and 'Castor', are named after the two brothers from Greek and Roman mythology.**

 **Nirnasha Hex wasn't really inspired by anyone in particular, but his Semblance, Spirit Caller, was inspired by the form of necromancy, using aspects of the spirits of the departed to fight in combat. It's flexible enough for him to use in various combat styles.** **His name, 'Nirnasha', means 'gift of God', and his last name, 'Hex', for those of you who for some reason don't know, is a form of curse. His weapon, 'Nemesis', is named after the Greek goddess of retribution. He's also nineteen years old, making him the oldest of the members of Team LNTC.**

 **Turoc Amant was heavily inspired by Varric Tethris from the Dragon Age video game series, as well as his crossbow, 'Angelina', and his twin tails(which by the way aren't really tails, just some tails on a rotor system on the belt that enables him to fly) were inspired by Tails from the Sonic series. He's also eighteen years old.**

 **Cenric was loosely inspired by Patroclus, protege, and cousin to Achilles, though the use of his hammer is most akin to his ideology; overcome big odds with overwhelming force. His name, Cenric, is derived from the Old English _cene_ 'bold' and _ric_ 'power'. His weapon, Strom Breaker, was inspired by the weapon of Beta Ray Bill from the Marvel comics. The name of his shield, Vordr, means 'warden', 'watcher', or 'caretaker'. He's seventeen years old like Pyrrha.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for the next chapter! Be sure to review!**


	7. Attempting Team Building

Team L.N.T.C.

Chapter Seven: Volume One

Attempting Team Building

After finishing their combat assessment yesterday, Team LNTC were given their student uniforms, given their schedules and shown to their dorms, which was at the end of the hall where RWBY and JNPR were, but it was never used for some reason. The room was surprisingly more spacious than other dorm rooms, had four beds; two of them were pressed against the walls, closer to the door, and the other two closer to the windows. It also had two doors that lead to bathrooms. The beds also had desks next to them; the beds next to the window had them next to the head of the beds, while the other two had desks next to the foot of the beds. Over the head of Cenric's bed hung a decorative painting on the wall of an army of Spartan soldiers and next to it was a desk under the window. Turoc's bed, which was across from Cenric's, there was a small shelf in between the desks of Cenric and Turoc with several books on the shelves. Nirnasha's bed had a coat rack next to it, and from left to right, it had Loki's cloak, Nirnasha's robes, Turoc's jacket, and Cenric's cape hooked on it. Pushed up against the foot of Loki's bed was a sort of chest with 'Loki's Stuff' written on the front of it.

Today, they had just woken up, with at least a few hours before classes start.

"Well, looks like we're official huntsmen in training now." Nirnasha broke the silence. "What happens now?"

"Now we get to know each other, I guess." Loki shrugged. "I mean, that's the whole point of team building, right?"

Cenric simply sat at his desk in silence, fiddling with his cybernetic arm.

"Well, I guess I'll start." Turoc shrugged. "I was born to a merchant family in Atlas. We made a living, endorsing shops, finding relics and selling them, even run a small Dust business of our own, though not on the scale like that of the Schnee Dust Company, mind you. I also run a spy ring, and on off times I write books."

"I was born in Vacuo and was outcasted for my Semblance, big shock," Nirnasha said with a roll of his eyes. "The only other person to show me support was my aunt, Minerva."

"I grew up in Vale my whole life." Loki declared. "After daddy dearest died, I was trained by a group of bandits. Five years later, I became a bounty hunter to put food on the table."

Everyone looked over to Cenric expectantly, who then stopped fiddling with his cybernetic hand, before looking at his teammates with an empty expression.

"What?" He said casually.

"What's your story?" Nirnasha asked. "We know that you grew up in Mistral alongside Pyrrha, who is your twin, but there's a sense of animosity you have towards her. Did something happen to make you so angry at her?"

Cenric looked from one of his teammates to the other, before turning back to the window.

"We've had a feud several months ago that resulted in me losing a hand." He bluntly stated, holding up his cybernetic hand. "That's all I'm saying."

"That's it?" Turoc asked, raising a brow. "Surely there must be more-"

"That's. It." Cenric said sternly, giving Turoc a deathly stare. "Leave. It. Be."

Turoc cringed a bit from the glare, as Cenric went back to staring out the window.

"Ooookaaay then," Loki said awkwardly. "Well, I suggest we get breakfast before class starts."

In agreement, Team LNTC got dressed in their student attires and walked out into the hall, only to run into their neighbors, Team RWBY, all dressed in their own student attires.

"Morning, Loki!" Ruby said with a beaming smile, skipping over to him and jumping for a hug. "I hope you slept well!"

"I slept just fine, Rosebud." Loki chuckled, catching Ruby in the hug. "I assume you're all getting up for breakfast as well?"

"Yep!" Ruby nodded with a smile. "I figured we'd all sit down and get to know each other a bit more!" She then flicked Loki's nose. "And you have some explaining to do on your disappearance, mister!"

"Yes, mother." Loki joked, rolling his eyes. "Shall we then?"

The two teams walked down the halls before arriving at the cafeteria, several other teams of students already having gathered their breakfast and took their seats. After getting their trays of food, they now needed to find a place to sit.

"Hey, over there!" Ruby pointed to their usual table, where Team JNPR sat. "We can sit over there!"

"Looks good to me." Loki smiled. "Come, team! Let's-"

"No thanks."

Looking over, Loki saw Cenric walk off, heading towards a table away from the others.

"But Cenric, we're supposed to stick together!" Ruby called to him, then pouted when the Spartan ignored her.

"Ah, let him be a grump, Rubes," Yang said, patting her shoulder.

"Yeah, Yang's right, Ruby." Loki nodded, looking to his other two teammates. "So, shall we, boys?"

Turoc nodded, but Nirnasha saw Pecker and Bernadette sitting at a table near the window, the two waving him over.

"Sorry, but my friends are here." He quickly apologized. "Maybe next time."

Before they could respond, Nirnasha was already speeding over to the duo.

"Well, guess it's just you and me, Turoc." Loki sighed, looking down at the fox-Faunus. "Or do you have friends I don't know about?"

"No, not really." Turoc denied with a smile. "Don't worry, Trickster; so far, you're the only real friend I've got."

Moving on, Team RWBY and LT walked over to the table where JNPR sat.

"Hey, guys!" Jaune called with a smile, before frowning at the absence of Cenric and Nirnasha. "Where did the other guys go?"

"Nirnasha went to hang out with his other friends." Loki shrugged. "And Cenric went off to sit alone."

Pyrrha's face fell at this, as she gave a sad sigh.

"We'll set those guys straight later." Nora waved it off. "For now, let's eat!"

Taking their seats, RWBY sat across from JNPR, while Loki sat next to Ruby, with Turoc beside him.

"So, how do you like Beacon so far?" Jaune asked.

"To be honest, I did not expect to become a Huntsman." Loki shrugged with a grin. "But after hearing of how they help those in need, how could I refuse?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth, Trickster," Turoc smirked. "I never thought I'd see myself becoming a Huntsman either."

"I'm just glad to have my best friend back!" Ruby declared with a smile, hugging Loki, who blushed a bit.

"But how come we haven't seen you in five years?" Yang asked. "Where'd you disappear to?"

Loki hesitated with this question. He wasn't quite sure if he was ready to speak of how he lost his father to a terrifying monster. Simply thinking about it made his heartache.

"Something…happened at home…" Loki was hesitant, reluctant to speak of that terrible day.

"What happened?" Ruby asked in a soft tone. "Did you and Uncle Odin get into a fight?"

"No, nothing like that," Loki assured. "Things were just fine between me and father." Loki then frowned. "What happened was just…it's difficult to talk about."

"I understand if you have a hard time recalling it, so I won't press it," Ruby said with a kind smile. "But if you ever want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen."

Loki smiled at her words, "Thanks, Rubes."

"So, what about you, Two-Tails?" Yang spoke up, her gaze fixed on Turoc. "What's your story?"

"A simple one, Goldilocks." Turoc shrugged. "You see, I grew up in a merchant family…"

* * *

Nirnasha walked over to his friend's table and took a seat.

"Hey, guys!" He greeted. "I see you've settled in."

"Yeah, looks like it." Bernadette nodded. "To be honest, I was nervous at first; I didn't think Ozpin with take us in since we're not students."

"You think too little of Headmaster Ozpin, Bruna," Pecker said, referring to Bernadette by her last name. "Everyone knows that Ozpin is one of the most, if not the fairest headmaster of them all!"

"Whatever you say, Braith." Bernadette rolled her eyes, before turning to Nirnasha. "Anyways, I thought you'd want to sit with your teammates, Nirn."

"Yeah, but I wanted to catch up with you guys." Nirnasha declared. "Besides, my friends come first before my teammates."

"Ooh, that's not a good attitude to have, Nirnasha." Pecker shooked his head, almost teasingly. "How do you think your team would feel if you ran off to help others?"

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with him wanting to help people other than his team," Bernadette said.

Looking over, Nirnasha noticed Cenric sitting at a table by himself, away from the rest of the team, no doubt trying to avoid Pyrrha. Deciding that he couldn't let the Spartan sit alone, Nirnasha rose from his seat.

"Hey, I'll be right back."

* * *

Cenric sat alone, poking a fork at his breakfast with a blank expression. Looking up, he could see his supposed leader chatting away, happily, with the other two teams, even sticking two small carrots in his mouth and raised his hands, as if pretending to be a vampire, earning a laugh from Ruby, Yang, Jaune and Nora, an eye roll from Weiss and Ren, and a slight chuckle from Blake, Turoc, and Pyrrha. He growled at how immature Loki was acting. He was no doubt glad to finally be accepted into Beacon after being denied by his own father, but he couldn't help but wonder what the hell Ozpin was thinking when he appointed Loki as leader, given how immature he was behaving.

In Cenric's mind, he had gone through the most rigorous training to become Academy worthy, to prove that he has what it takes to become a Huntsman. He trained alongside Pyrrha at the Sanctum Combat School, winning tournament after tournament, defeating even the most veteran Huntsman. What has Loki ever done to earn the spot in Beacon, let alone a position as leader? Spent the majority of his time as some filthy bounty hunter working for small change? So what? Sure, Cenric did the same thing, but only because he needed to survive. Loki no doubt did it for the hell of it, and the very thought of it made Cenric sick to his stomach. It made him even sicker that Loki was made leader instead of him.

"Hey there."

He looked up to see Nirnasha, standing beside the table, a small smile on his face.

"I couldn't help but notice that you're by yourself." He said. "I was wondering if you'd like to sit with me and my friends from Vacuo, if you aren't gonna sit with Loki and the others."

Though he didn't seem to mind Nirnasha all that much, Cenric couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy around the necromancer, even though he felt he shouldn't. Even in Mistral, he heard stories of the Reaper of the Desert who hunted criminals and make them suffer from their darkest fears, even driving some insane.

Regardless, he felt more comfortable around him; more so than he would with the trickster.

Slowly, he rose from his seat, his food tray in hand, and followed Nirnasha back to his table, where Bernadette and Pecker waited, and the two took their seats.

"Welcome to the table!" Nirnasha said with a smile.

"So, this is the other member of your team," Pecker remarked, looking Cenric up and down. "He seems quite capable."

"I bet he could take on a whole army of Grimm!" Bernadette declared.

"Hey, let's not start bombarding him with questions, okay?" Nirnasha chuckled. "He's no doubt still getting used to things around here."

'You have no idea.' Cenric thought to himself.

* * *

From another table, however, Cinder and her group were watching from afar, watching the events occur.

"Looks like the new guys aren't seeing eye to eye." Mercury remarked, biting into an apple.

"Their leader is acting like a goofball and their 'tank' is acting distant." Emerald added. "I'm not surprised. They stick out like four sore thumbs."

Cinder was in thought, her sights set on Loki with the rest of Teams RWBY and JNPR.

"I wonder what he's been up to recently," She mused, rubbing a finger against her chin.

"Cinder, you've been watching him all day." Emerald commented. "Just who is he to you?"

"Someone I came across, when I was still a disciple to my master." Cinder sighed. "My master and Loki's father were enemies at the time and my master gave him a choice; servitude or death."

"Who was the trickster's dad anyway?" Mercury asked.

"One of the greatest huntsmen who walked Beacon's halls," Cinder said with a wicked grin. "Odin Artashir."

Both Mercury and Emerald gasped at this, their eyes widened with surprise.

"Wait, hold on!" Mercury said. "You mean his dad is none other than THE Odin Artashir?!"

"'Was', Mercury. But yes." Cinder nodded. "Odin was one of the most feared and powerful Huntsman in Vale." She then chuckled darkly. "Or rather, he used to be."

Emerald and Mercury looked to each other, both surprised and terrified.

"Okay, so what about Loki's last name?" Mercury asked. "How come he didn't keep his dads name?"

"That, I'm unsure of." Cinder shrugged. "Perhaps he wished to break away from the Artashir name by taking a different name. Perhaps he simply likes the color green. I cannot say."

* * *

After breakfast, Team LNTC went to attend Grimm Studies alongside RWBY and JNPR, headed by Professor Peter Port, who appeared to be a man in early old age. He wore a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold piping and buttons. His pants he wears tucked into olive boots, similar in appearance and construction to cavalry boots.

He had gray hair and a gray mustache and appears to be slightly overweight, so every time he laughed, his belly would shake up and down.

During one of Port's dull lectures, Ruby saw a folded piece of paper slid into her vision, as she looked up to see Yang, pointing a thumb over to Loki, who was leaning back in his chair and giving a two-fingered wave, Ruby looked back at the folded parchment, then unfolded it, revealing a drawn stick figure of Peter Port running in fear of a massive Griffon chasing him, with Loki and Ruby riding on the back, cheering. She couldn't help but giggle at it, though she did it quietly as to not invoke the stink eye from the professor.

* * *

The next class they attended was History, taught by Bartholomew Oobleck, a man with messy green hair. He wore round glasses that appear to be opaque over brown eyes. His attire was disheveled: his white shirt partially tucked into his dark-green pants and its collar raised, showing a slack yellow tie, along with mismatched brown and black shoes.

This one at least less dull; the teacher speeding around the room, talking very fast and taking a sip from his coffee mug every few seconds.

This was actually the kind of class Loki could stay awake in, given that he's studied enough of Valean history. As a matter of fact, the other boys of LNTC have been able to keep up when the speedy professor asked them questions about their respective kingdoms.

* * *

After several other classes, the last class of the day was the team section of Combat Class, taught by Glynda Goodwitch, as she strode into the ring, riding crop in hand.

"Listen up, students!" The instructor said sternly. "In this class, not only will you be testing your own skills, but in the team portion of Combat Class, you will be learning how to cooperate with your team! In the field, bad team work can get you killed! Now, let's start with some of the newer students!"

After some of the first years, including RWBY and JNPR, it was LNTC's turn, as the four entered the sparring ring, geared up, followed by a team of second years, Team CFVY.

The leader, Coco Adel, was a teenage girl with fair skin, short dark-brown hair and dark-brown eyes. She had wavy locks on one side of her face, dyed with a gradient that starts as a dark brown and transitions to caramel. Her clothes consisted of a long, cocoa-colored shirt with a dark brown waist cincher. She wore long, dark brown trousers with ribbons on the left side and a brown belt with cartridges. Above it, she wore another cocoa-colored belt of cartridges with a gold crosshairs buckle. What appeared to be a drape of black skirt hangs on her right side. She wore a pair of dark brown, high-heeled leather boots with buckles. Coco also donned a number of accessories, such as a bracelet with black roses as decoration; these were accompanied by black gloves and necklaces. She wore a beret of a darker brown and a pair of black, wire-rimmed aviator sunglasses. She was also holding a black shoulder bag with gold studs, which is held by a bandolier strap.

The second member, Fox Alistair, was a teenage boy with dark skin and dark, messy copper hair that has a long fringe and a cowlick. He wore a sleeveless, muted orange zipper vest with black lining and a high collar, a pair of black jeans, and brown, laced shoes. His eyes were pure white, showing that he is physically blind. His arms were covered in scars, and he had a vertical scar on his lips. He also wore a pair of long black gloves and had several pouches attached to his belt.

The third member, Velvet Scarlatina, was a young girl with long, brown hair and brown eyes. She also had a pair of brown rabbit ears, identifying her as a Faunus. Her combat gear was comprised by a short, long-sleeved brown jacket with a golden zipper, brown shorts with golden detail and black leggings. She wore a black, semi-translucent undershirt beneath her jacket, along with golden spaulders and vambraces on both arms, as well as a similar belt, and her heel and toes are likewise protected. She also had a camera in a small box that she kept slung from her shoulder.

The last member, Yatsuhashi Daichi, was a tall and athletic-looking young man with shaved-short black hair and tanned skin, wearing mostly pale-green and brown attire. He had a long short-sleeved robe, which he wears on one shoulder over a black muscle shirt. The robe was fastened at the waist by a leather armored belt with two pouches on it. He also wore brown pants and black-and-green boots. His left arm bored a 5-layer sode which extends up past his shoulder. His weapon, a golden greatsword with a hooked tip, was affixed to his back with a padded brown strap slung over his shoulder. He also wore a pair of bracers as well as a pair of black gloves with green plates on the backs.

"Remember the rules!" Goodwitch declared sternly. "Begin when ready!"

As Team CFVY readied themselves, Turoc looked up to Loki.

"So, what's the plan, Loki?" He asked.

Thinking for a moment, Loki carefully considered their opponents, as they drew out their weapons, his eyes trained on them individually.

"I want to say we take out the big guy," Loki mused, regarding Yatsuhashi. "He looks like he could do serious damage with that sword of his."

"So we target him?" Nirnasha implied.

"No, not yet," Loki said. "I don't think he's the only threat for us…"

"Your indecision will cost us the victory." Cenric scoffed, stepping forward. "Defeating this lot will be nothing."

"Cenric, wait," Loki said, holding a hand up. "We haven't decided on a plan of attack."

"I've already decided on a plan." Cenric huffed, putting on his helmet. "Attack."

And with that, Cenric charged forward, right at Yatsuhashi, his shield slamming against the side of the tall student's sword, pushing him back several feet.

"Damnit, you idiot!" Loki growled. "Didn't you hear a word the instructor said?!"

"Well, what now, Loki?" Nirnasha asked, readying his scepter.

Loki looked to the other three members of CFVY, who looked at the clash between Cenric and Yatsuhashi, before turning their attention back to the three boys, then Loki sighed.

"We'll focus on them individually." Loki decided. "Nirnasha, you take the bunny girl. Turoc, you get the girl with the shades. I'll handle the one with the blades."

"It'll do." Turoc nodded.

The three boys went after their given targets, their opponents more than ready for them.

* * *

"Doesn't look like Loki's team is getting along well," Jaune remarked.

"It kinda reminds me of the time our team was first formed," Ruby said with a frown. "With the exception of me and Yang, we didn't really see eye to eye very well."

"This feels like that, except its way worse." Yang grimaced.

"Their teamwork is much uncoordinated," Ren commented calmly. "Loki isn't showing strong enough authority, while Cenric refuses to hear reason."

"Not to mention that they're up against second-year students," Weiss added. "Team Coffee isn't a team that should be taken lightly."

"Cenric never was one to care what rank someone was," Pyrrha spoke up. "In Cenric's mind, it doesn't matter what rank you are; if you couldn't beat him, you had no business on the battlefield."

"That's just cruel!" Nora frowned.

"I know, but that's how Cenric thinks." Pyrrha sighed. "He sees anyone he beats as weak and not worth his time."

"His way of thinking seems so screwed up," Yang said. "You'd think he'd at least show some sort of respect for his opponents."

"He used to, back during his first times in the tournament," Pyrrha said. "But over time, that even changed. The only thing he respects is power."

Yang rubbed a finger against her chin in thought. Could she possibly gain Cenric's respect if she beat him in combat?

* * *

Cenric struggled as hard as he could to push Yatsuhashi back, but he seemed to be making no progress, as the taller student simply stood his ground, holding his sword in place, not moving an inch.

'I've taken down far bigger foes than this back in the tournaments in Mistral!' Cenric thought in dismay. 'How is this guy not moving?!'

Yastuhashi placed a foot forward, then practically shoved Cenric back with a shove of his sword, the Spartan skidding a few feet back, though he remained standing, remaining that attack position, as he glared at his opponent with bared teeth.

"You're strong, but you lack patience," Yatsuhashi commented. "If you do not control your temper, your defeat may come quicker than you realize."

"Shut your mouth and fall." Cenric snarled.

He then charged once more, swinging his hammer, Yatsuhashi blocking with his sword. Cenric then swung his hammer in an upward attack, pushing Yatsuhashi back, though it didn't seem to do much. Going on the offensive, the tall student charged, swinging his sword, but Cenric was able to sidestep him, his hammer switched to its spear form, then thrust forward, striking Yatsuhashi in the leg, then pulled the trigger, firing a lightning Dust powered shot, making Yatsuhashi stumble a bit.

He turned to face Cenric, the two readied their weapons, ready to start again.

* * *

Nirnasha faced Velvet with his scepter drawn and at the ready, as the rabbit-Faunus stood before him.

"So, what can you do?" Nirnasha asked, raising his scepter.

"Well…" Velvet mused, before opening up her box. "I can do _this!"_

Nirnasha's eyes widened slightly at the sight of a similar copy of his weapon being pulled out of the box, except it was a hard light replica.

'That looks exactly like Nemesis!' Nirnasha thought, looking from his own weapon to the copy. 'When did…?'

Shaking off the surprise, he readied a stance, 'Whatever! Just because she can copy a weapon doesn't mean she knows how to use it!'

Smirking, Velvet readied a stance, as Nirnasha charged forward; his scepter switched to its double-edged glaive form, and took a swing, only for Velvet to raise her hard light weapon in defense, blocking the attack. Nirnasha moved as fast as he could, swinging his weapon, only for the rabbit-Faunus to block the attacks expertly, almost mirroring his fighting style.

Backing off, Nirnasha seemed surprised that she was able to block or counter most, if not all, of his attacks.

'So she's basically just a copy bunny," Nirnasha thought. 'Well, I bet she can't copy Semblances!'

Sticking his weapon into the ground, Nirnasha activated his Semblance, creating the necro-glyphs around his hands, then slammed his fists together, the skeletal arms mimicking his arm movements.

Putting away the hard light scepter, Velvet then pulled out a pair of hard light gauntlets, similar to that of Yang's Ember Celica, then the two charged at each other, hard light fist colliding with spectral skeletal arm before fists collided with fists, before Velvet's fists slammed into the palms of the skeletal arms, then the skeleton hands wrapped around hers, Nirnasha then pulled himself in and head-butted her, pushing her back.

Velvet shook off the surprise, then readied her stance, ready to continue.

* * *

Turoc and Coco stood with an intense stare down, both sporting a smirk with their arms crossed.

"So, you're the leader of Team Coffee, huh?" Turoc remarked with a gesture of his hand.

"That's right, Shorty." Coco declared proudly. "But don't expect me to take it easy on you, just because you're short."

"Good, cause then I'd have to hit you where it hurts if you did that," Turoc replied, pulling out his crossbow.

"Don't you worry, little man," Coco smirked, holding up her handbag. "I plan on puttin' you through the wringer!"

Before he could reply, Turoc's eyes widened a bit as Coco's handbag transformed into a large Gatling gun.

"Oh," Turoc said, almost meekly. "Well shit."

Coco opened fire, Turoc taking flight, avoiding gunfire as he maneuvered in the air, Coco tracking him with her weapon, with Turoc unable to get a concentrated shot, and the shots he does get end up missing.

'This is gonna be a problem for me.' Turoc thought to himself. 'I gotta find some way to turn things around!'

* * *

Loki and Fox locked blades, before backing off, then circled each other.

"You seem very skilled." Fox complimented. "Those gun-blades of yours must have taken a long time to forge."

"It took my father a year to create Polydeuces." Loki declared. "And a year longer to create Castor."

Fox charged forward, swinging his tonfa blades, Clachan Caola, while Loki blocked with his blades, backing up a bit, then activated his Semblance, creating four copies of himself. Fox, however, didn't seem fazed; in fact, he simply looked dead at Loki and charged, running right past the decoys.

Taken by surprise, Loki raised his blades to defend himself, locking blades with his opponent.

"I may be blind, but I'm not that foolish," Fox said. "Though I cannot see you, I can still smell you and hear you. I can even feel the vibrations in every step you take."

Loki had a feeling that this was going to be a more challenging fight, as he prepared his stance.

* * *

Cinder's group watched from the top seats, watching Team LNTC struggle.

"Looks like the boys are having trouble workin' together," Mercury remarked with a chuckle.

"And to think that the trickster took us down back in town." Emerald snickered. "Turns out he's a terrible leader."

"More like that Cenric guy just won't listen." Mercury retorted. "He thinks that just because he's skilled that it means he automatically knows what to do in any situation!"

While the two went back and forth, Cinder simply watched the fight.

'If Loki doesn't pull things together soon, our reunion may end much quicker.' She thought to herself.

* * *

After another hour, the fight ended with Team CFVY being victorious. Cenric was unable to bring down Yatsuhashi, who defeated the Spartan with a well-timed sword slam to the abdomen, pushing his aura to the red. Nirnasha started off strong, pushing down Velvet, only for the rabbit-Faunus to turn things around by using other hard light weapons to throw him off, before eventually sending his aura into the red. Coco destroyed Turoc after making him slip up, before draining his aura. Loki was eliminated after Fox caught him off guard.

"That's all for today!" Goodwitch declared, standing before the teams. "Honestly, Lunatic, that was an awful performance. You disobeyed orders, there was no sense of coordination between you; it was a complete mess!"

Three of the four boys winced at her harshness, though Cenric simply looked away.

"Regardless, I will be reporting this to the Headmaster." Goodwitch sighed. "I suggest you lot pull yourselves together if you plan on becoming proper huntsmen."

"Yes, ma'am." Loki, Nirnasha and Turoc said in unison, though Cenric's reply came out as a mumble.

* * *

In the locker room, LNTC changed back into their normal clothes.

"Man, talk about a disaster." Loki sighed.

"Hey man, don't beat yourself up." Nirnasha said. "It's not your fault things didn't go so well."

"You know what they say," Turoc shrugged. "You win some and you lose some."

Cenric simply grunted, as he put away his hammer and shield. He could still hear the words of the other students.

'That's supposed to be the brother of the Invincible Girl?'

'No wonder he was never admitted into Beacon in the first place! He's so stubborn!'

"Man, he'll never be like Pyrrha!'

Such things made Cenric's blood boil, to constantly be compared to his twin.

Suddenly, RWBY and JNPR entered.

"Loki!" Ruby cried out, jumping at Loki with a hug. "I'm so sorry about what happened!"

"Eh, don't be sorry." Loki shrugged. "If anything, we kinda messed up on our own."

"Besides, no team is perfect." Nirnasha chimed in. "It's bound to happen."

Pyrrha walked over to Cenric, who didn't bother looking her way, as she approached.

"Hello, Cenric." She greeted calmly. "I'm sorry about your match."

Cenric refused to respond, as he simply closed his locker. Hesitant, Pyrrha reached out to his shoulder, only for it to be swatted painfully by Cenric's cybernetic, making her yelp, which garnered the attention of the others.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on me!" Cenric growled harshly.

"Hey, what the heck is your problem?" Jaune said, standing at Pyrrha's side.

"Yeah, what's gotten into you?" Loki demanded. "You've been acting like a total jackass since yesterday!"

"Shut your mouth!" Cenric yelled, turning a glare to Loki. "It's YOUR fault our match ended with us losing! It's because you're a terrible leader! If we can't beat those guys, what chances have we against anyone else?!"

"Hey, I'm not the one who rushed in without a plan!" Loki fired back. "And last I checked, I'M the leader of this ragtag team of misfits, not YOU! If anything, it's YOUR fault things went awry because you refused to follow orders! Also, the guys in Team Coffee are second-year students for a reason, pal, so your logic makes no damn sense!"

Cenric walked up, towering over Loki. Loki did his best to put on a brave face, though he'd be lying if he said he wasn't intimidated.

"Listen well, Trickster," Cenric snarled. "Ozpin may have made you leader, but that's all you are; a trickster. Take care that you don't let all that praise from Ozpin get you into trouble."

Cenric turned and walked out, Loki finally relaxing, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Man, talk about being a jerk," Jaune remarked.

"Loki, are you okay?" Ruby asked with concern.

"I'll be fine, Rubes," Loki assured. "But I'm more worried about Pyrrha right now."

"I'll be fine." Pyrrha sighed. "But I'm worried that if something isn't done about Cenric soon, things will more than likely get worse."

Unbeknownst to them, Sting was watching from afar, having witnessed the whole thing, before letting out a soft sigh, before leaving, heading straight for Ozpins office.

* * *

 **And there's the next chapter! I wanted to show the dysfunctional stuff between LNTC, namely Loki and Cenric. Loki seems immature and Cenric seems to think he knows what to do and doesn't follow orders. Like any other team, nothing is perfect from start to finish.**

 **I apologize if it seems like I rushed through some stuff or if stuff seems forced, but I'm trying to fix things as much as I can. Huge thanks to Moguera for his suggestions and advice, he's been a huge help, I highly recommend that you check out his stories, such as Crimson Eyes and Lost Rose.**

 **By the way, I took the liberty of changing the name of Fox's weapon to** **Clachan Caola, which translates from Scottish Gaelic to Scar Claws. Props to Wyv3rn7007h on the wiki page for this.**

 **Again, thank you so much for bearing with me and I'll see you in the next chapter! Be sure to review!**

 **By the way, I'm also looking for Beta Readers, those with experience in planning out action sequences, specifically. As you can already tell, I'm not that great with action scenes, so if you're someone with experience, please let me know in either the reviews of PM's, I would greatly appreciate it. I'll even give you credit.**


	8. Survival Exercise Part One

Team L.N.T.C.

Chapter Eight: Volume One

Survival Exercise Part One

"…Not to mention that Cenric refused to heed Loki's warning against rushing in!" Glynda finished her report before Ozpin. "The team is clearly more dysfunctional than any other team I've ever overseen in Combat Classes!"

Ozpin sighed softly, "It seems that Team Lunatic really does have some problems to overcome before they can truly be able to work as a team."

At that moment, the elevator opened up, revealing Sting, who entered the room.

"This seems like quite the predicament." He remarked, as he approached the desk.

"It would seem so." Ozpin nodded. "Team Lunatic is having some issues with cooperating with one another."

"Loki comes off as an immature fool, while Cenric refuses to acknowledge him as leader." Glynda said. "Unless this team can pull themselves together, I don't see them lasting in Beacon much longer."

"If I may be so bold," Sting spoke up. "I may have a suggestion to this problem."

Ozpin and Glynda looked to him.

"You see, every other student went through the initial initiation when they first showed up." Sting explained. "Lunatic, however, did not. Because of that, they don't have that baseline experience of struggling together as a team to meet an objective. You just plucked them off the streets, plopped them together, and suddenly tell them that they're a team now." He emphasized that statement with a clap of his hands. "That's not how teamwork works!"

"What do you suggest then?" Glynda asked.

"I suggest a survival exercise." Sting declared. "That way, the four will get that shared baseline experience to serve as the foundations for team bonds, hence the survival exercise. It proved rather effective for Team Stark and my team as well."

Ozpin thought it over for a moment, before looking back up at Sting.

"Very well, Sting." Ozpin declared. "First thing tomorrow, Team Lunatic will have a proper initiation."

* * *

Loki stood at the balcony connected to the ballroom, leaning over the railing and gazing over the horizon. He let out a small sigh, taking in the sight.

"Loki?"

He turned to see Ruby approach, a look of concern on her face. Instead of her school uniform, she wore a black long-sleeved dress with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front and around her skirt has a red trim. She also wore a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces and trims around the top and red soles.

Her outfit was topped by a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins. Her emblem appears as a large silver brooch and is pinned to a wide black belt slung around her hips on an angle, which also carries bullets and a pouch.

"Did I worry you?" Loki asked.

"A little." Ruby nodded. "That argument was a little intense."

"Right, sorry about that." Loki sighed, looking back towards the sunset.

Ruby walked up next to him, looking out over the horizon.

"Every night, I would look out the window to watch the sunset." Loki declared. "It was nice, for a time. That was when I was still below the age of ten."

"Yeah, I remember." Ruby nodded. "You'd stay up late to watch the sun fall."

The two smiled a bit, before Loki let out a sigh.

"I just don't get what Cenric's problem is." He said. "We kinda started off just fine when we first met. But now it's like he hates me!"

"He's probably still trying to get used to you is all." Ruby suggested. "It took Weiss a while to get used to me being leader."

"Did he have to yell at me like that?" Loki deadpanned, before sighing. "Still, what if he's right? What if I can't pull off being a leader?"

"Weiss did the same thing." Ruby said. "We didn't start off very well, but we managed to see past each other's differences and started working together as a team more effectively." She placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. "Look; there's more to being a leader than just telling others what to do in a fight. Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly. If you're not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?"

Loki looked at her, as she smiled.

"Professor Ozpin told me that." She said with a cheery smile. "But being a leader also means getting to know and understand those under your command. Talk to them, learn about their past and form bonds with them. It helped me out a bit when working with my team and I know it'll help you."

Loki gave it some consideration, then smiled.

"Yeah, you're right." He said with a nod. "Thanks, Ruby."

"Anytime, Loki."

The two hugged for a moment, then separated before heading back inside.

* * *

Inside the gym, Cenric stood in his workout clothes, a pair of black sweat pants and a white muscle shirt that showed off his muscles and the cybernetic arm that covered his left arm and its stub, and black sneakers, as he threw various punches at a punching bag. After the team lost to Team CFVY, Cenric made it a priority to train as much as he could to get stronger. Since his other teammates had other things going on, he decided to train alone, which was fine with him; he preferred training along nowadays.

When he was younger, he trained everyday with Pyrrha, the two hoping to one day be strong enough to become Huntsmen together and lead a team of their own. Even during their days in Sanctum Academy, the two trained as hard as they could. The two were put in a two-person team and they graduated from the combat school with flying colors.

However, after their bond was severed and Cenric was disowned by the father, Cenric continued his training alone, not only to prepare himself for the Grimm or the White Fang, but also so that he may defeat Pyrrha one day. So that he can no longer feel stuck in his twin's shadow. So that he can finally get the recognition and respect that he earned time and again. So that he can show them all that he was the stronger twin.

As he assaulted the bag, his blood started boiling as the voices of other students echoed in his mind.

 _That's supposed to be the Invincible Boy?_

He gritted his teeth as he hit the bag harder.

 _What a joke! Nothing but a wannabe!_

His temper rising.

 _He'll never be better than Pyrrha!_

He let out a roar as he reared his cybernetic arm back and struck the bag as hard as he could, so hard in fact that the chain breaks and crashes to the floor, the sand inside spilling across the floor.

Breathing heavy, Cenric gazed at the bag for a minute, before turning to pick up another punching bag and hooking it up, steadying it, before readying himself again.

"Hard at work, I see. ~"

Groaning inwardly, Cenirc turned his head to see Yang, standing at the doorway, a sultry smile on her face. Instead of her school uniform, she wore a tan jacket that bared her midriff, with golden brown piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that feature two gold buttons. Underneath this, she wore a low cut yellow crop top with her emblem on the left breast in black.

She also wore a brown belt covered by a pleated brown piece of material reaching from hip to hip around the back of her waist, with her emblem emblazoned on the right-most pleat in gold. Underneath this was a long, white, asymmetrical piece of material reaching to her knee on the right side, as well as a pair of black mini-shorts. She wore a pair of brown, knee-high boots and orange over-the-knee socks, with the right sock pushed down just below the knee. A gray bandanna is tied around her left knee. An orange infinity scarf and black fingerless gloves complete her outfit.

Cenric was already in a bad mood with the loss to Team CFVY and Yang trying to flirt with him wasn't helping things. Turning away, Cenric proceeded to assault the bag and hoped that the blonde brawler would leave.

"So, you like to run through bags when you're upset, huh." Yang pointed out, gesturing to the pile of bags nearby. "I guess everyone has their way of relieving stress."

Cenric kept punching, hoping that Yang would just leave him alone, but the blonde slowly approached, swaying her hips.

"I know other ways to relieve that tension of yours. ~" She smirked with confidence.

Growling, Cenric halted his assault and faced her, a look of irritation in his eyes.

"I swear to Monty above if you're going to say what I think you are," He said in an angry tone. "I will bury you alive."

"…I was suggesting we spar." Yang explained, unmoved by his aggressiveness. "I think sparring with someone will help you relieve that tension you've got built up. More than a punching bag will anyway."

Cenric gave her a cold stare for a moment, before turning to the locker rooms.

"Fine."

He left to go change, and when he came back, he sported his Spartan armor and his shield and spear in hand. The two moved to the sparring ring.

"Alright, Soldier Boy," Yang smirked, activating her gauntlets, Ember Celica, and taking a fighting stance. "Let's dance!"

"Just try not to bore me." Cenric deadpanned, taking a defensive stance.

The shield activated and their aura gauges displayed, Yang sprang into action, firing her gauntlets behind her, sending her flying towards her opponent, looking to send a right hook to the face. Instead of his face, however, Yang's fist connected with Cenric's shield, but the force still sent him skidding back a bit, as Yang sent punch after punch into his shield.

Going on the offensive, Cenric pushed forward, slamming his shield against her, pushing her back, then proceeded to thrust at her with his spear, but Yang managed to bat it away with her armored fist. After batting away the spear attacks, Yang fired her gauntlets, Cenric holding up his shield to block the shots. He then slowly started his advance, holding his shield up. Once he got close enough, he bashed her with his shield, then spun his shield around so that the narrow end was pointed across his arm, then smacked Yang across the face with it, leaving her dazed.

Taking advantage of her disorientation, Cenric went on the attack, striking her with a rapid succession of spear thrusts, then swiped his spear in two arcs, then spun it, the switched it to its hammer form mid-spin, bringing it up and hitting Yang square in the chin, sending her into the air and crashing into the ground.

Yang struggled to her feet, her legs wobbling a bit, as she faced Cenric, readying his hammer again.

'This guy's a lot stronger than I thought.' Yang thought to herself but smirked as she felt a surge of power. 'But it's time I pushed back!'

As Yang raised her arms and crossed them into an X, Cenric raising a brow as he saw her hair catch flame, her eyes turning red. Letting out a battle cry, she unleashed a burst of energy, her aura blazing and a look of determination on her face.

Before Cenric could utter a swear of genuine surprise, Yang charged with a burst of speed, landing a hard right hook to Cenric's face, sending him skidding backward, then pressed her attack, sending punch after punch, taking Cenric's aura down further, then reared her fist back and threw a powerful punch, sending Cenric to the floor.

As Cenric rose to his feet, Yang launched herself with a blast of her Ember Celica, aiming to send a fist to his face, only for Cenric to bat it away with his shield, finally taking back control of the fight, then switched his hammer to its shotgun form and fired away, pushing her back, then delivered several recoil powered hammer strike, her aura flaring to protect her. Closing in, Cenric spun his hammer once more, then delivered one more recoil powered hammer swing, sending her into the air, then switched his shield to its railgun mode, pointing it at her and pulled the trigger, sending her crashing into the floor.

Yang's Semblance wore out and her hair and eyes returned to normal, she looked up to see Cenric standing over her. After several minutes, he let out what sounded like a satisfied sigh, sticking his spear into the ground and offering her a hand. Smiling, Yang deactivated her weapons and accepted the helping hand, allowing him to pull her up, and she ended up getting close to him, their noses just inches apart, her lilac eyes gazing into his obsidian eyes. They stood like that for a minute before backing up, the two trying to hide their blushes.

"That…was actually a good fight," Cenric admitted, smiling for the first time. "Thanks for that."

"Hey, not a problem!" Yang smirked, gaining her confidence back. "You're pretty good…for a hardened soldier boy."

Cenric frowned at her comment, before grinning a bit as he chuckled.

"Though I am curious," He said. "You are no doubt the stronger Huntress of your group. Why is it that that Ruby girl is leader and not you?"

Yang gave him a surprised look, before looking away, considering his words, then looked back to him.

"Well, to be honest," She said. "I wouldn't make a good leader."

"But why?" Cenric pressed. "You've shown to have more strength than your other teammates. It is only natural that the weak should follow the strong, like you and me."

"That's where you're wrong, Soldier Boy." Yang frowned. "Look; being the strongest isn't the same thing as being a great leader. Sure, Ruby isn't all that strong, but she knows how to use our strengths to their fullest. Heck, Jaune isn't that strong, but through training, he's becoming better at coordinating his teammates." She then gestured to Cenric. "Sure, you're pretty strong, and rightfully so, but that doesn't mean you know how to use the skills of your teammates or their abilities in conjunction of your own."

Cenric looked down, a frown upon his face.

"Look, you're better off having more faith in Loki as a leader," Yang suggested. "Try to understand him a bit…and maybe talk things out with Pyrrha."

Cenric looked sharply at Yang, who held a hand up.

"Just hold on a minute." She said. "She and I talked about what happened. I understand you're upset about something that happened several months back, but she's your sister. You guys have been through so much together. You don't want to ruin that over a grudge, right?"

"It happened eight months ago; it wasn't that long ago." Cenric corrected with a stern glare.

"Maybe, but you're twins." Yang went on. "I love Ruby more than anything and I would never think of hurting her the way you're hurting Pyrrha right now." She placed a hand on Cenric's shoulder. "Please, talk to her. She really wants to talk to you about it and you pushing her away is only making it worse."

Cenric considered it. He didn't want to admit it, but he did, in fact, want to express how he felt about living in her shadow, being treated as the 'boy version of Pyrrha'. But his grudge against her has made him reluctant in conveying how he felt. Not to mention that he was her brother and wish to support her as well.

Despite losing his hand at the hands of his sister, he still wanted to be by her side.

He looked up at Yang with a conflicted expression.

"I…I will try." He said. "It will take time."

"That's all I ask," Yang said with a warm smile.

She then pulled him into a hug, which surprised him. What also surprised him was how warm she felt against him. Slowly, he raised his organic arm up to her back, returning the embrace. After a few seconds, the two separated.

"Well, I better get going," Yang said. "Be sure to give what I said some thought, 'kay?"

With a wink, she left, leaving Cenric with something to think about.

* * *

The next morning came, as Team LNTC woke from their slumber, then dressed in awkward silence. Leaving the room, they ran into Patrick Cormac, who leaned against the wall.

"Mornin', welps." The coyote-Faunus greeted with a good morning smile. "I trust you four slept well?"

"Fine enough, yeah." Loki shrugged.

"Well, after you lot get some breakfast, the headmaster said to meet at the launch pads at Beacon Cliff," Patrick said. "He's got somethin' different for you all today."

"And where would that be?" Cenric asked in a deadpanned tone.

"Teams Ruby and Juniper will show ya." Patrick gestured to the teams as they exited their dorms. "Just make sure you get some breakfast first. Also, be sure to show up with your gear."

With that, Patrick left, Leaving LNTC with their neighbor teams, as Cenric let out a small groan.

The three teams made it to the lunchroom without incident, but like yesterday, LNTC split up, with Loki and Turoc sitting with RWBY and JNPR, while Cenric sat with Nirnasha and his friends. After breakfast and LNTC changing into their combat attires, RWBY and JNPR lead them to the outside, towards the cliff where the launch pads laid, where Ozpin and Sting were waiting.

"Ah, there you are," Ozpin said with a smile. "I see Patrick informed you."

"Headmaster, please hear me out," Loki spoke up. "If this is about yesterday, I take full responsibility-"

Ozpin held up a hand, prompting Loki to shut his mouth.

"Indeed, this is about your poor performance yesterday," Ozpin said. "Admittedly, your teamwork was very poor; disobeying orders, not showing enough authority, and rushing in without a plan. Your team truly is more dysfunctional than Team Ruby were in their first week."

Loki hung his head in shame, while Cenric simply looked away with a huff, while the girls of Team RWBY grimaced at it.

"Normally, a team as dysfunctional as yours would be expelled," Ozpin went on, earning a gasp from Ruby. "However, I still believe that your team can be saved. That is, _if_ you four can complete this exercise."

The four boys looked up at the headmaster, three of them with hope while Cenric seemed curious.

"A survival training, suggested by Sting here," Ozpin went on, gesturing to Sting, who stood at his side. "You will be launched into different parts of the Emerald Forest. You will reunite at the center of the forest and make your way to a set of ruins, where you will find a relic. You are to find it." He then frowned. "Of course, there will be Grimm lurking in the forest, so you will be facing some opposition."

"And how are we supposed to get back up here?" Nirnasha asked.

"A bullhead will pick you up, once you've completed the objective." Ozpin declared. "Now, do you four think you can handle this simple task and prove that you belong here?"

The boys looked to one another for a moment, before looking back at Ozpin and nodding.

"Good." Ozpin smiled. "Now, take your positions on the launch pads and prepare for launch."

While Nirnasha, Turoc, and Cenric stepped onto the launch pads, Loki took his time, as Ruby approached.

"Loki, please do your best." She said with sad eyes. "I really don't want to lose you after so long."

"Don't worry, Rubes," Loki said with a smirk. "I assure you this'll be over soon."

Cenric stood on the launch pad, a solemn look on his face, as Pyrrha approached.

"Cenric?" She said hesitantly, gaining his attention. "Please, succeed. I want to talk to you after this."

Cenric gave her a stern look, before slowly nodding, remembering his talk with Yang last night.

After a few minutes, the four are launched into the air, soaring through the sky above towards the forest, as Ozpin and the students watched; the elder headmaster took a sip from his coffee mug in bliss.

* * *

Loki felt the powerful gust of wind against his face, the tail of his coat flapping as he soared through the air. For Loki, it felt good, free falling like this.

Opening his eyes, he could see that he was quickly approaching the head of the forest.

Pulling out his pistols, he switched the dials, the lights glowing a light blue color, then aimed the barrels forward. As he neared the ground, he pulled the trigger, firing a beam of ice, freezing the ground and creating an ice ramp for him to slide on, continuing his firing to extend the ice he slid on. Nearing the ground, he jumped off the ice, skidding to a stop upon the ground before dusting himself off.

Standing up straight, Loki took his time getting a lay of his surroundings, taking in the lusciously green environment; the tall trees towering over him, the green foliage surrounding him.

Not to mention the amount of Grimm stalking in the brush, hunting for fresh prey.

Letting out a sigh, Loki started walking, though he didn't seem to notice a red-eyed black raven that watched from the tree branches above.

* * *

Nirnasha soured through the sky, nearing the tree line below, then activated his necroglyphs across his back, sprouting a set of blue-green spirit wings, allowing him to fly down safely. His feet on the ground, Nirnasha waved away the glyphs, before starting his trek through the forest.

* * *

Smirking, Turoc activated his tails and boot-propellers, suspending himself in the air above the trees. After taking in the view, he flew down below the trees and began his flight through the forest.

* * *

Cenric stayed as straight as a board, as he soared through the air, like a missile. As he looked down, however, he may have noticed that his trajectory was a little off, seeing as how he was headed off to the side of the cliff and into the ocean!

Activating a claw function in his cybernetic, he sunk his hand into the face of the cliff, slowing to a stop, though he saw that he was much closer to the ocean at the bottom, while the edge was much further above.

Growling, he began his slow climb.

* * *

From Beacon Cliff, Ozpin and Teams RWBY and JNPR watched the scene play out on holo-screens, though Pyrrha gasped at her brothers predicament.

"Cenric seems to be in quite the pickle," Ozpin remarked. "Though the others seem to be doing alright."

"Is Cenric going to be alright?" Jaune asked. "It looks like his launching was lopsided."

"We usually have problems with the launch pads here." Ozpin shrugged. "But I'm certain they will be fine."

"Hopefully, they'll pass this," Ruby said worriedly. "I'd hate to lose my best friend."

"Are you sure he's just a best friend?" Yang asked in a teasing manner.

"Yang!" Ruby glared at her sister, blush on her face.

"For their sake, they'd best pull it together," Weiss said. "I'm certain that they do not wish to face expulsion."

"I'm sure they'll pull through," Blake said confidently. "If we can put our differences aside, I don't see how these guys can't."

"You can do it, boys!" Nora shouted with excitement. "Go go GO! Te-am Lunatic!"

"I'm certain that they will pull through," Ren commented.

* * *

Loki strolled through the forest, whistling briskly, looking about, before hearing a growl. Stopping, he brought his hands to his weapons, his eyes scanning the brush, then a large Beowolf emerged from the brush, its red eyes locked onto Loki, growling deeply, walking on all fours.

From the looks of it, it didn't seem like one of the more experienced Beowolves; seeming less armored and more like the weaker members of the pack. It also didn't seem to be accompanied by any other Beowolves, likely strayed away from the pack, though Loki still kept his senses available, in case there were others.

Gripping his weapons, Loki quickly drew them out, as the Grimm wolf lunged forward, aiming to sink its teeth into Loki's head. Suddenly, there was a whistle in the wind, a piercing of flesh and a crossbow bolt striking the ground. After that happened, the Beowolf fell lifelessly to the ground, much to Loki's surprise as the corpse dissolved.

Looking over, he saw Turoc approach from the brush, reloading his crossbow and a smirk on his face.

"What?" He asked casually, taking note of Loki's expression.

"I had it handled," Loki said. "Still, I appreciate it."

"Just tryin' to contribute to the team." Turoc smiled. "After all; our place in Beacon is at stake here!"

Just then, a massive Ursa Major emerged from the brush, roaring loudly, the two readying themselves. Before the bear-Grimm could charge, however, a large glyph formed on the ground underneath it, and much to the surprise of the two, many skeletal-like arms emerged from the ground, sending the Ursa Major high into the air, leaving the two shocked. Looking down, they saw Nirnasha emerge from the brush, wiping his hands.

Before the two could speak, Nirnasha held up a hand, looking up to see the Ursa Major fall back from the sky. Pulling out his scepter and switching it to its double-ended glaive form, and as the Grimm got close to the ground, he stuck his glaive into the necroglyph on the ground, and much to Loki and Turoc's shock, a massive spectral blade emerged from the ground, impaling the Grimm bear, killing it. As the body dissolved, Nirnasha put away his weapon, the other two regained their composure.

"I said this before and I'll say it again," Loki said. "You have the most overpowered Semblance I've ever seen."

"I got that a lot back in Vacuo." Nirnasha said with a shrug. "Now, where would Cenric be?"

"Well, it looked like he was launched to the right," Loki mused, facing forward. "The temple would be north, so Cenric would be…"

He then pointed one hand ahead, where he assumed the direction of the temple, then pointed a hand to the right.

"…East!"

And with that, the three followed Loki's direction, heading east, fighting off several Grimm along the way, until they arrived at the cliff. Looking over the edge, they could see Cenric clinging onto the face of the cliff for dear life, as he slowly climbed.

"He must've been at this for several minutes," Turoc remarked. "Strong enough to hold on for dear life."

"Inconceivable!" Nirnasha declared.

Loki looked at the necromancer like he was about to say something, but then shook his head.

"So, what's the plan, Trickster?" Turoc asked. "Want me to try to fly him up?"

"No, I'd rather not risk you both falling to your deaths." Loki said. "Besides, considering all that armor he's got, I doubt you'd be able to do so."

"Yeah, fair point." Nirnasha nodded. "So what do we do? Just wait for him?"

"Actually, you guys go ahead and take front." Loki said. "I'll wait for him."

"You sure?" Nirnasha inquired.

Loki simply nodded, Nirnasha and Turoc looked at each other, concerned, then back to Loki.

"Just be careful, Loki." Nirnasha said. "Last thing we need is you two killing each other."

After that, the two walked off, leaving Loki to his own devices.

* * *

"How interesting…" Ozpin mused, taking another sip of his coffee.

"What's Loki up to?" Jaune asked aloud.

"Maybe he's going to try and talk things out with Cenric?" Ruby said hopefully.

"I doubt they would just make up so soon," Blake said.

"I talked to Loki about it before," Ruby said. "Maybe he's going to try and get on good terms with Cenric."

"We can only hope." Yang sighed, hoping the soldier would remember what they talked about.

* * *

'I've faced tougher training than this.' Cenric thought to himself, as he reached up and pulled himself up further.

Cenric went through rigorous training exercises under his father, beside Pyrrha, to overcome great odds.

Stopping for a moment to regain his strength, he could hear several gunshots from above, then scoffed.

'Probably killing Grimm.' He thought to himself.

* * *

Up above, Loki was indeed shooting, but not at Grimm, but rather at several empty bottles he had set up for target practice.

His improvised target dummies broken, Loki put away his weapons and walked back to the edge of the cliff. Looking down, he could see Cenric inching closer, but he was still not close enough. Taking a breath, he decided to break the silence.

"Hello down there!" He hollered.

Stopping, Cenric looked up, a stern glare on his face as he locked eyes with the trickster. They stayed like that for a moment before Loki spoke again.

"Slow going?"

Grunting, Cenric continued his climb, finding another holding.

"Look, I'm not certain if we're on a time limit," Loki called down. "But I'd rather not find out, so would you please hurry up?"

"This isn't easy you know!" Cenric yelled up to him.

Sighing, Loki looked over his shoulder, taking note of a coil of thick rope wrapped around a rock in the ground.

'How long has that rope been there?' Loki asked in his thoughts.

Walking over, Loki pulled on the rope, testing it, then walked back to the edge.

"There just so happens to be some rope over here!" He called. "Not sure who put it here, but I could use it to pull you up!"

Cenric simply grunted as he glared up at him.

"Like I'm that stupid." He growled loudly. "As if you're not gonna let me fall."

"That _would_ put a damper in our relationship," Loki admitted, before smirking. "But I promise I won't let you fall!"

"That's very comforting," Cenric said. "But I'm afraid you'll just have to wait."

"I hate waiting." Loki frowned, before smiling again. "What if I give you my word as a trickster?"

Cenric gave Loki a deadpan expression that clearly stated, "Did you hear what you just said?"

Loki paused, "...Right...that sounded better in my head."

Cenric's next expression clearly said, "What the hell is it like in your head?"

"You know any other way you'll trust me?" Loki asked.

"Nothing comes to mind," Cenric said through gritted teeth, looking up at him.

At that, Loki raised his right hand, his eyes ablaze as he spoke with a serious tone, "I swear on the soul of my father, Odin Artashir, you _will_ reach the top alive."

Cenric considered this for a moment. If he didn't see the things he saw in the trickster, he saw them now; the sincerity in his voice, the fire in his eyes. It reminded him that of his own determination. Taking a deep breath, Cenric looked up to the trickster.

"Throw me the rope."

Smiling, Loki rushed over and grabbed the rope, uncoiling it from around the rock, then threw it down the cliff, allowing Cenric to grab hold. Loki then pulled him up, despite how heavy Cenric was. As Cenric was pulled up to the edge, Loki then grabbed the soldier by the arm and pulled him up, both boys breathing heavy as Cenric looked to Loki, who was quick to straighten up.

"…Thank you." He nodded, before turning towards the forest.

"Let's wait until you're ready," Loki suggested. "Can't have you passing out in the middle of a fight now, can we?"

Cenric gave Loki a stern look, before conceding with a sigh; having to hold out over a cliff wasn't as easy as he thought.

"Again, thank you."

The two sat on separate logs, Cenric pulling his greaves off to shake out several rocks that got lodged in, while Loki simply watched, his gaze set on Cenric's cybernetic limb. Remembering what Ruby had told him about building bonds, he decided to give it a try.

"I don't mean to pry," Loki spoke up. "But what exactly happened between you and Pyrrha?"

Cenric looked up at him, giving a narrowed eyed look.

"You start all of your conversations this way?" He said quizzically.

"Just trying to get to know my teammates." Loki shrugged. "If I am to be a good leader, I need to understand the people I work with, right?"

Cenric looked away as though he was uninterested in talking.

"How about this?" Loki said. "If you tell me what happened between you and Pyrrha, I'll tell you what happened between me and my father. Does that sound fair?"

Cenric thought on it for a moment, unsure if he wanted to share his problems with a stranger, but he could tell that Loki genuinely wanted to understand him.

Taking in a breath, he pulled out his hammer and planted the head on the ground.

"Pyrrha and I were much closer when we were kids." He said. "Ever since we were young, we played together and stood by each other's sides. We trained together, vowing to become Huntsmen together. We entered Sanctum Academy together as a two-person team, as part of the school's initiation; Team Painkiller."

"Sounds like a good name," Loki remarked.

"We were unstoppable back in Sanctum." Cenric declared. "We participated in every tournament between the other academies and won almost every single one. We were by each other's side through it all, sharing the sweetness of our victories as well as the bitterness of our defeats. For the longest time, we were inseparable." He then frowned. "But that changed when everyone started favoring Pyrrha and ignored all the hard work I put into my craft, even my own father started favoring her. Then one day, he came home with admission into Beacon Academy. For Pyrrha."

"And not one for you?" Loki said with a raised brow. "Sounds kinda unfair."

"It certainly was." Cenric nodded. "Still, I swallowed my pride and congratulated her and simply asked my father if I could have one as well. Do you know what he said to me?" He frowned, his eyes narrowed. "He said _no,_ that I had to _earn_ it. Earn it, despite having fought for it every day. Earn it, despite training my hardest in Sanctum. Earn it, despite having defeated even the most veteran Huntsman. Earn it, despite having done exactly that." He clenched his fist. "I was livid. So I challenged Pyrrha for that admission. I was close to winning until she severed my arm. Just like our bond." He took in a breath then let it out. "After that, I was disowned by my father and I was forced to work as a bounty hunter to support myself. On the day that Pyrrha left for Beacon, I didn't even go to tell her goodbye."

"Sounds rough," Loki said. "Have you considered talking to her?"

"Sometimes." Cenric shrugged. "But it happened eight months ago, so it wasn't that long ago. But this pain I feel makes me hesitant to express how betrayed I felt."

"Well, maybe you should try." Loki suggested. "After all, you're siblings; siblings are supposed to look after one another. They may argue, but nothing should ever sever their bond."

Mulling it over, Cenric looked up to him with a small smile.

"Thank you…again." He said. "Now, what about you? What happened between you and _your_ father?"

Frowning and looking away, Loki took his time gathering his thoughts, before looking back at his teammate.

"A difficult tale to tell, that one." He said. "We didn't have the problem that you and your father had, that's for sure. We had problems, but we always resolved them. He loved me as I loved him." He sighed. "But then, one day, he was taken from me."

"By what?" Cenric asked, curious.

"My father was killed by a Man on Fire." Loki declared bluntly. "A massive, giant of a man, that appeared as a fiery demon, with massive horns and a giant sword."

Cenric's eyes widened a bit. Never before had he heard of a man like that. Could it be the result of a Semblance, or something else entirely?

"My father was one of the greatest hunters in Vale." Loki went on. "Traveled all across the country, honing his skills. His father before him crafted a powerful spear, Gungnir." He opened up his scroll and tapped a few buttons. "Slaved several years, before it was complete."

He then pulled up a holographic image if the spear; a long, gold and blue ornate spear with three prongs, the middle one being the largest, and the other two were smaller.

"I've never seen its equal." Cenric remarked, admiring the image of the weapon.

"Even today, the image alone brings pain." Loki said with a sigh, putting his scroll away and standing up. "When my mother died, my father trained me from a young age. When I turned ten, he promised to take me to Beacon to become a Huntsman and meet Ozpin." He then frowned sadly. "But then the Man on Fire appeared unannounced at our door. My father fought bravely, but in the end, he was defeated. The Man on Fire gave him a choice; servitude or death." He looked to Cenric. "My father refused. Without a word, the Man on Fire stabbed him through the heart." He clenched his fists. "I loved my father; so naturally, I challenged his killer to a duel. I failed. The Man on Fire left me alive, but he stole Gungnir…" He then reached a hand up to his shirt collar. "And he gave me _this_."

Pulling his shirt collar down, showing a nasty, s-shaped scar on his chest, which looked like it was burned into his skin.

Cenric could scarcely comprehend what he was hearing. How could a monster do that to a child?

Looking up at Loki, Cenric asked, "How old were you?"

"I was eleven years old." Loki said with sad eyes. "When I came to, I awoke to find myself in the care of a tribe of bandits. Their leader, a strong, terrifying woman, trained me, teaching me ways to improve my gun and swordplay. After five years with the tribe, I left to travel across Vale, learning about her and her people.." He then smirked. "Though I always kept training, so that the next time I meet my father's killer, I won't fail. I will go up to the Man on Fire, look him dead in the eyes, and tell him," He then took a serious tone. "Hello. My name is Loki Artashir. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Cenric could hear the passion in his voice, the fire in his eyes. It was something he's seen in his sister many times before. Every time they faced tough opponents, she would have that burning flame in her eyes, a steely determination, never backing down.

"You've studied nothing but swordplay?" He asked.

"Not really, no." Loki shrugged, sitting next to the Spartan. "You see; it's been five years now and I could never find him, so I started losing confidence. I only took the job as a bounty hunter to pay the bills. Not much money in revenge."

It seems that they weren't so different after all. After the years Loki spent training, he had to take up bounty hunting to survive, same as Cenric. Despite Loki being a trickster, Cenric could see the similarities between them, no matter how small they may seem.

Nodding in understanding, Cenric stood up, dusting himself off after putting on his greaves back on.

"Well, I do hope you find him someday." He remarked. "So, shall we?"

"Certainly." Loki gave a toothy smirk as he stood up. "Wouldn't want to keep our teammates waiting!"

The two walked onward to meet their teammates, unaware of the raven that watched from the tree branches.

* * *

Up ahead, Turoc and Nirnasha waited by a large tree in the woods, Nirnasha pacing back and forth while Turoc sat on a fallen log, writing something down in a notebook.

"What in the hell is taking them so long?" Nirnasha grumbled. "We need to get a move on and there's no way we can get the relic with just the two of us!"

"Relax, will ya?" Turoc shook his head, as he continued writing. "You need to have more faith in our leader's judgment."

"And just what are you doing to remain so calm?" Nirnasha asked with a raised brow.

"Writing down team attacks." Turoc declared. "Since we're gonna be a team, if we pass this test, I figured we'd do our best to use our skills in conjunction to one another."

"Isn't that Loki's job?" Nirnasha asked. "Since he's the leader."

"Nothing wrong with the teammates making suggestions, right?" Turoc responded with a smirk.

There was a pause of silence until Nirnasha spoke up.

"So, you're from Atlas, right?" He said. "I assume you were given shit for being a Faunus?"

"Sometimes, yeah," Turoc said. "But because my family was well-known merchants in the Merchant Guild, we didn't have many problems from those who look down on our race. Sure, there are the occasional insults and suspicion, but we were usually left alone." He then frowned. "But others weren't as lucky. Walking the streets, everywhere I looked, I saw Faunus' living in the streets, unable to find proper employment, forced to beg for money."

"And I guess you share their thoughts on the Schnee Dust Company?" Nirnasha inquired.

"I've got nothing against the Schnee kids," Turoc said. "It's Jacques Schnee that I have a problem with. Sure, he gave the Faunus' jobs, but the ones in the mines suffer far more.

"I'm guessing you speaking from experience." Nirnasha inquired.

"Given that we're Faunus', my family and I faced plenty of discrimination." Turoc nodded. "Most of the time, some humans would make it damn clear that we weren't welcome in Atlas. Even a gang was formed, the Black Skulls, to show their disdain for us. My younger brother, Simon, was an unfortunate victim of their harassment. They even went so far as to kidnap him and torture him!"

"That's terrible!" Nirnasha gasped.

"Luckily, my older brother, Barter, and I were able to rescue him, but poor Simon was heavily traumatized by it." Turoc said with a clenched fist. "Did I mention he was autistic?"

"How can people be so damn sadistic?" Nirnasha said in a disgusted tone.

"Fear and bigotry can make people do unspeakable things." Turoc sighed, before turning to Nirnasha with a grin. "But enough about me; tell me about you. What was life like in Vacuo? Is it really a safe haven for the Faunus?"

"Well, to be honest, yes and no." Nirnasha said, sitting on a log. "Yes, because Vacuo has one simple rule; if you can survive, you're welcome there. No, because it's a continent drowned in sand."

"I'm guessing the economy isn't doing too well there." Turoc said half-jokingly.

"Yeah you're half right." Nirnasha nodded. "With the oasis dried up and trees mostly gone, Vacuo is slowly becoming a forgotten wasteland, and it's only a matter of time when enough people leave and the four kingdoms become three."

"What about your banishment?" Turoc pressed. "Something about your Semblance?"

"Spirit Caller allows me to do a number of things." Nirnasha declared. "It allows me to see into the souls of other people, manipulate the spirits of the dead to help me in combat." He then frowned. "Of course, it made people wary of me. Despite how I used it to bring down crime rates, people saw me as a monster; even going so far as to blame me for the Grimm problem."

"And those two friends of yours?" Turoc inquired.

"Pecker and Bernadette were the only friends I could ever count on." Nirnasha declared. "No matter how many people insulted them or threatened them, those two stayed by my side no matter what." He gave a sad expression. "But my aunt, Minerva, was one of the only people, besides Bernadette and Pecker, who supported me and helped me." He then gritted his teeth. "But after several years, Vegar, a member of the Vacuin Counsel, managed to drum up enough of the people's fear of me to cause a Grimm attack. Thankfully, the attack was repelled, but the fear of me didn't fade. Eventually, the Counsel had me exiled and banished to the desert to die."

"Talk about an unfair judgment," Turoc remarked.

"As you saw, Pecker and Bernadette refused to let me leave alone," Nirnasha said. "And now I'm here, as a huntsman in training."

Looking over, they saw Loki and Cenric approach from the foliage.

"About time you guys showed up," Nirnasha remarked. "What took so long?"

"Just had to get on the same page." Loki shrugged, then turned to Cenric. "Right, Cenric?"

"Indeed." Cenric nodded. "After all, we're in this together."

Turoc and Nirnasha looked at each other in surprise, then back to their teammates.

"Who are you and what have you done with Loki and Cenric?" Turoc asked teasingly.

"Anyways, we've better get going." Loki declared. "We need to get to that relic as soon as possible. Shall we?"

"You bet!" Nirnasha smiled.

"I agree." Cenric nodded.

"Well, Angelina's excited," Turoc smirked, patting his crossbow.

With their plan set, the boys set off for the ruins.

* * *

"How interesting," Ozpin mused. "The boys seem to already gotten on the same page."

"Glad to see Cenric taking what I told him yesterday to heart," Yang remarked silently, before seeing Ruby shaking a bit. "Ruby? Are you okay?"

"Uncle Odin…" Ruby said shakily, gripping her arms. "After all this time… Loki…"

She remembered how close Odin was a good friend to Tai and Qrow, often visiting and sometimes helped teach at Signal Academy. Ruby considered Odin a second uncle, and hearing that he had been killed made her feel worse for Loki than for herself.

"Hey, relax, will ya?" Yang said, pulling her sister into a comforting hug. "It's alright, deep breaths."

Looking around, Jaune noticed that Sting was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, where'd Sting go?" He asked.

"To prepare the last part of the boy's initiation." Ozpin declared. "Before the boys can complete their initiation, they must fight together as a team."

* * *

After fighting through several Grimm, using the team attacks Turoc had suggested, the team finally arrived at the ruins at the end of the forest.

"So, this must be the ruins Ozpin mentioned." Loki mused, looking around. "Now, if he's right, the relic should be here."

Looking up at the structure, they could see what looked like a ceremonial urn on a pedestal, with handles on the sides, decorated with several images.

"That must be it, I assume," Nirnasha spoke up.

"Well, looks like what we're looking for," Loki said. "Let's grab it and make for the cliff!"

But before they could make a move, they heard slow clapping sound coming from the ruin itself, then took fighting stances.

"Good job, boys." A voice called out. "Good to see you've made it this far!"

Looking up, they saw Sting step out from behind one of the pillars, standing next to the pedestal.

"Sting?!" Loki gasped.

"Glad to see you made it, kid." Sting declared, adjusting his sunglasses. "And here I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it!"

"Well, they should be!" Another voice called out. "Otherwise, they wouldn't be here in the first place!"

The boys looked to see Corrin, Patrick, and Oliver step out from behind their spots behind the pillars; Corrin leaning against the wall, Patrick standing with his arms crossed, and Oliver standing with his umbrella planted against the ground.

"Corrin?!" Nirnasha gasped.

"Patrick!" Turoc gave a friendly smile.

"Oliver." Cenric said bluntly.

"Again, good job making it this far!" Sting declared. "I knew that you could pull it off!"

"Figured we'd meet you at the end." Patrick declared. "From what we saw, you boys have made some progress."

"Yeah, no doubt!" Corrin smirked. "Made more progress than Team Stark did!"

"Yes, indeed." Oliver nodded.

"So, what're you doing out here?" Loki asked. "I assume you're not just here to congratulate us, right?"

"You're right about that." Sting nodded. "You see, to make sure that you've progressed in your initiation."

"Basically, we're here to see if you really DID make progress." Corrin declared. "Otherwise, you've got no chance of staying in Beacon!"

"So to get to the relic, you must get by us, Team Scorpio." Oliver said with a frown. "I'm sorry, Cenric, but I will not be holding back in this fight."

"I hold nothing against you." Cenric nodded, before taking a combat stance.

Smiling, Oliver held up his umbrella in a fencing stance.

"I appreciate what you and Qrow did for me, Corrin," Nirnasha spoke up, pulling out his scepter. "But I intend to give it my all!"

"Glad to hear!" Corrin smirked, spreading her arms and legs in a combat stance. "I'd be VERY disappointed if you weren't!"

"I hope you're ready, Turoc." Patrick said, readying his weapon into his sword and submachine gun forms. "'Cause I'm not gonna take it easy on you just 'cause yer short!"

"Well, good to know." Turoc smirked, pulling out his crossbow. "That way, I'll know I kicked your ass!"

"Loki, I hope you plan on giving your best." Sting declared, pulling out a black, metal baseball bat and pointed it at Loki. "Because I expect your damned best."

"Trust me, old timer, I give ONLY my best!" Loki said with a confident smirk, pulling out his gun-blades and switching them into katana form, holding them in an x formation.

Despite what they're up against, Team LNTC had no intention in backing down. Whatever it takes, they intend to succeed.

* * *

 **And there's part one of LNTC's initiation! Sorry for the delay, but I've been so busy with my two jobs, I've been exhausted. Plus, I've been going through a nasty breakup after four years and it really fucked me up, so I needed to take some time to get my head together. But don't worry, I'm back now, back to writing! Anyways, hope you guys are still bearing with me, and I hope you're still enjoying the story.**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter and be sure to review!**


	9. Survival Exercise Part Two

Team L.N.T.C.

Chapter Nine: Volume One

Survival Exercise Part Two

"Wait, they're supposed to fight Team Scorpio?!" Jaune exclaimed loudly in shock.

"That's the idea." Ozpin nodded. "This is part of the boy's objective to see if they can work together."

"But this seems a bit unfair!" Blake said in disbelief. "Those people in Scorpio are Huntsmen veterans, while the boys in Lunatic are only new students! How is THAT fair?!"

"Huntsmen face all kinds of oppositions during missions." Ozpin explained calmly. "They must work together in order to overcome any obstacles, big or small."

"Come on, you guys; we've gotta have faith!" Ruby declared with enthusiasm. "I know they can do this, like we did!"

"Yeah, you're right, Rubes!" Yang nodded with a smirk. "We gotta believe!"

Everyone had high hopes for the boys in LNTC, while Blake hoped Patrick wouldn't hurt them too much.

* * *

The boys charged forward, dead set on completing their objective and unafraid of their opponents.

Sting nodded to his own teammates and they charged forward; Oliver towards Cenric, Patrick at Turoc, Corrin to Nirnasha, and Sting for Loki.

Charging toward his opponent, Cenric held his shield out, intending to ram him, only for the gentleman to nimbly jump over his head, landing gracefully on his feet, then straightened up as he turned on his heel to face Cenric.

"Manners." He started, preparing his umbrella. "Maketh." He then pointed the tip at Cenric. "Man."

Cenric looked at him, a bit confused.

"Do you know what that means?" Oliver asked plainly, before saying, "Then allow me to teach you a lesson."

With a flick of the hook on his umbrella, he hooked it onto a fallen tree branch nearby and sent it hurling at Cenric. Thinking on instinct, Cenric raised his shield in defense, the branch splitting apart against his shield. Cenric lowered it a bit, then Oliver moved in and hooked his umbrella handle around Cenric's wrist and pulled him forward, then rolled across his back, before smacking him across the face with his umbrella, making him stumble back a bit.

Shaking off the surprise, Cenric switched his shield to its railgun form. Aiming it at the gentleman, then fired, but Oliver opened his umbrella and held it in front of him, blocking the blast, much to Cenric's shock. He couldn't understand how it was possible to block a blast from a railgun with a simple umbrella.

Before Cenric could ponder further, Oliver twisted a dial on his umbrella, then pulled a trigger on the handle of the umbrella, firing from the tip what looked like an explosive bullet, exploding upon contact and sending Cenric into a tree.

Groaning, Cenric rose to his feet, his eyes locked on the gentleman, who simply held his umbrella over his shoulder.

'This will be an interesting fight.' Cenric thought to himself.

* * *

Turoc flew in the air, as Patrick fired away with his submachine gun, aiming his firearm in Turoc's direction, while Turoc fired back with his crossbow, though most of them seemed to miss.

Reloading his weapon, Patrick charged forward with his saber, leaping off a rock towards Turoc, grabbing him out of midair, both men tumbling to the dirt. Quickly getting up, Turoc readied his crossbow, seeing Patrick ready his own weapons.

"Luck seems to be on your side, Coyote." Turoc remarked, referring to Patrick by the nickname he's given.

"I make my own luck!" Patrick declared with a confident smirk.

Turoc simply gave him a look that said "What the fuck did you just say?"

With a burst of speed, Patrick charged forward, swinging his sword. Turoc raised his crossbow, defending as best he could, but Patrick managed to get several hits in, bringing Turoc's aura down.

Thinking defensively, Turoc managed to hover back some, then fired a bolt at Patrick's feet, the bolt exploding into a cloud of smoke, blinding him a bit. With the breathing room he's achieved, Turoc took a quick peek at his aura gauge, and grimaced at what he saw.

'Damn, we just started and I'm already down to seventy percent.' He thought to himself. 'I'm gonna have to be careful here.'

The smoke cleared, Turoc noticed that Patrick was wearing a sort of cloth over his mouth and nose, assuming it kept the smoke from dazing him.

Readying their weapons, the two Faunus readied for another round.

* * *

Nirnasha fired lightning bolt after bolt, trying to hit his target, but Corrin easily jumped and spun out of the way of the bolts, landing gracefully on the patch of grass.

Growling a bit, Nirnasha gripped the head of his scepter and twisted it, the handle splitting apart to form his glaive, with the Dust head in between the blades. Spinning his weapon expertly, he readied himself.

Smirking, Corrin crossed her arms, as her aura began to glow. Her arms started to shift slightly. Quickly swiping her arms downward, Corrin's hands shifted into a set of razor sharp claws, as she grinned like a maniac before lunging forward.

Taken aback, Nirnasha quickly tried to defend himself, raising his glaive to block a swing of Corrin's claws, then retaliated with a slash of his own aimed for her head, only for Corrin to raise a claw to block the attack before stepping back, then lunged again, aiming to sink her claws into Nirnasha's abdomen. Nirnasha managed to jump back, then pushed her back with an electric blast.

Catching his breath, Nirnasha could see the crazed look in the dragon-Faunus' eyes, the eagerness to fight, as she slammed her fists together, her hands forming what looked like bulkier versions of her hands, like a set of hammers.

'This is different from the fights I had back in Vacuo,' He thought to himself. 'I'm gonna have to think of new strategies.'

* * *

Loki's blades clashed with Sting's metal baseball bat, the former simply pushing back, then took a swing with his weapon at Loki's head. Loki ducked and rolled under the attack, then saw how Sting's aura glowed a bit, then he shot what looked like a purple substance from his mouth! Quickly jumping out of the way, Loki watched the substance hit the ground, hissing as it ate away the grass and the dirt.

'So he's got an acid based Semblance.' Loki mused in his head, readying a stance. 'Fitting for someone called 'Sting'. I'll need to tread more carefully here.'

Going back into the action, Loki dashed forward, swinging his katana's in a sweeping arc, only for Sting to easily bat the attack away with his baseball bat. Loki then dashed around, switching his weapons to their gun forms, opening fire. Pointing his bat, Sting flipped a switch on the handle of the bat, a green disk emerging from the tip, blocking the shots.

While Loki seemed shocked, Sting pulled a trigger on the handle, a rocket firing from the tip, exploding at Loki's feet, sending him flying into a tree.

Struggling to get up, Loki took notice of Cenric, Turoc and Nirnasha with him, all equally exhausted.

"Damnit, these guys are no joke," Nirnasha swore.

"Yeah, they sure know how to put up a fight." Turoc nodded.

"We're getting our asses kicked." Cenric groaned, turning to Loki. "Any ideas?"

Humming a bit, Loki sized up Team SCPO, taking note of their weapons and abilities, before an idea popped in his head.

"I say we take them out one at a time." He declared. "Take them down with our team attacks! Starting with that Oliver guy and work our way up!"

"Sounds good to me." Cenric smirked, readying his hammer and shield.

"I can work with that." Nirnasha nodded, holding up his scepter.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Turoc agreed, raising his crossbow.

Their plan set, the boys faced their opponents and readied their stances, before making a mad dash towards them. Following their leader's instruction, the boys faked out their opponents; Loki charging towards Sting, only to fire several gravity-Dust bullets at the ground, then jumped from the spots, the effects of the Dust allowing him to practically soar over the older man, then dashed for Oliver. Corrin made to lunge for Nirnasha, only for the necromancer to duck back and slide under her lunge. Turoc managed to swerve over Patrick thanks to his tails.

All four boys closed in on Oliver, then enacted their plan.

"Fake Out!"

Pulling out his pistols, Loki fired at Oliver, who raised his umbrella to block, but noticed the shots were all over the place; like Loki was firing in random. Lowering his umbrella, Oliver gave Loki a confused look before the trickster gestured to his feet. Looking down, Oliver saw the blue/white bullets imbedded in the ground, then they blew up into an icy mist, freezing Oliver's legs into place. Loki then jumped, revealing a smirking Turoc, his crossbow loaded with multiple arrows, as he pulled the trigger, firing a massive hail of arrows. Unable to raise his umbrella in defense in time, Oliver's aura was shredded by the attack, sending him into a stone wall, with several arrows pinning his clothing to the wall.

One down, only three to go. The four boys readied themselves. Sting nodded to Patrick, who then charged forward, weapons in hand.

"Bone Pummel!"

Putting away their weapons, Cenric and Nirnasha rushed forward, Cenric sending a powerful left hook to Patrick's face, staggering him heavily, while Nirnasha struck with his necroglyphs summoning the skeletal arms. The two kept it up, then Cenric landed a strong uppercut to Patrick's chin with his cybernetic arm, sending the coyote-Faunus skyward, then crouched down a bit, allowing Nirnasha to leap from the shield on his back, using his necro-wings for an extra boost, reaching Patrick, then delivered a skeletal double hammer fist, sending Patrick crashing into the dirt.

Two left. The boys turned to see Corrin step forward, a wide grin on her face.

"Well, you took down Oliver and Patrick." She said with a confident tone. "But now you face me!"

"Careful, guys." Nirnasha warned, readying his scepter. "She can shift her body into all kinds of weaponry. She's dangerous."

"If she's anything like her pals, then this shouldn't be a problem." Cenric said confidently, readying his spear and shield.

"You shouldn't be so quick to underestimate your opponents, boy." Corrin said with a smirk, her aura flaring up. "Because now you get to see my FULL power!"

Like a flame, her body was covered by her aura, her wild grin growing even further, as the silhouette of her body seemed to grow and expand in the flame that is her aura. Then, a massive black and white claw-like hoof emerged from the flame, slamming into the ground, much to the boys shock.

As more of her body emerged from the flame, the boys could see that parts of her body has formed into what looked like a dragon. By the time her body emerged from the flame and the fire itself extinguished, Corrin had completely transformed into what looked like a massive dragon with large deer-like antlers, a large body similar to that of a horse and a long, spiked tail.

The boys couldn't believe what they were witnessing; the woman had just transformed into a massive dragon before their very eyes!

Letting out a roar, the beast swung a hoof downwards, intending to crush the boys. The boys split up in different directions, the hoof crashing into the ground, leaving a massive crater.

Going on the offensive, the boys moved as one, dodging the attacks of the beast, while Loki gave cues and silent orders to his team; keep the dragon's attention long enough for Turoc to pull something. Cenris switched his weapon to its shotgun form and fired away, Nirnasha switched his glaive back to its scepter form and shot lightning bolts and Loki fired away with his pistols. Meanwhile, Turoc zoomed through the air, flying over the beasts back, pulling a larger version of the collar he used during his fight with Svan. Getting closer to the neck of the dragon, Turoc smirked as he tossed the device, and by some string of luck, it clamped around the neck, sending out a wave of energy, causing the beast to revert back to Corrin's original form.

"What the-" She choked out in shock, struggling to remove the device. "What is this?!"

"She's vulnerable now!" Loki declared. "Go for it! War Beast!"

Switching his weapon to its hammer form, Cenric swung his hammer into the ground, creating a shockwave that stunned Corrin, allowing Turoc to fire away with his crossbow, then finished by firing an arrow with a bola attachment, which wrapped around Corrin, trapping her against a tree, no matter how much she struggled.

"And then there was one!" Loki declared with a smirk as he and his teammates turned to face Sting. "You're all alone now."

"That relic is as good as ours!" Nirnasha declared confidently.

"We've got this in the bag." Turoc nodded.

"You're better off surrendering, old man." Cenric said with a smug grin.

Looking from one of his teammates to the next, Sting looked back at Team LNTC and simply grinned.

"I admit, you've _really_ outdone yourselves this time, boys." He declared. "But I'm afraid you're still far from winning this."

"I highly doubt that." Loki said with a smirk. "Your teammates are down and you're outnumbered. You've got no tricks left."

"That you know of." Sting replied.

Loki looked at Sting in confusion before giving a reply, "What?"

"I have no tricks. That you know of." Sting repeated.

"What?" Nirnasha raised a brow.

"What're you on about, Stinger?" Turoc asked suspiciously. "I smell trickery at work here."

"He's bluffing; he's got nothing." Cenric huffed, readying his weapons.

"Oh boys, you should know better by now than to underestimate your opponents." Sting said with a sly grin. "Oh well; you asked for it."

The boys readied themselves as Sting removed his trench coat and shirt, revealing his well-toned muscles.

"Just so you'd know, for the majority of this fight, I was just goin' easy on ya." Sting said, as he reached up for his sunglasses. "But now?"

He took the sunglasses off, revealing a pair of silver eyes.

"Now, I get serious."

* * *

"He's getting serious when he takes off his sunglasses?" Jaune said in confusion.

"I don't get it." Yang frowned. "What's the Stinger up to?"

"More so than you realize." Ozpin declared. "Sting has a gift far greater than any other Semblance in existence. A power than even the Grimm fear the most."

"Something that even the Grimm are frighten of?" Weiss gasped. "How can such a thing exist?!"

"The power lies within his eyes." Ozpin said, gazing at the screen. "Those silver eyes of his…"

"Well, whatever it is, I know the guys can pull through!" Ruby declared enthusiasm.

"Yeah, you got this, guys!" Nora yelled with excitement.

"I agree." Ren nodded. "We must have faith that they can pull this off."

The other students nodded, as both teams watched the screen in anticipation.

* * *

There was a moment of silence between Sting and LNTC, both not daring to make a move or sound; nothing but the flow of the wind and the chirping of the birds can be heard.

After what felt like hours, Loki finally spoke.

"Well, whatchu got, old timer?" He demanded with his swords crossed.

Sting only chuckled in response.

"You're about to find out, boy." He replied.

He then closed his eyes, his muscles started to tense, as a sort of light started shining a bit under his eyelids. As soon as his eyes opened up, and with a roar, a flash of light emerged, much to the shock of the boys, as the silver light streamed from Stings eyes. As the light died down, Stings body was sparking with silver electricity and he had a smirk on his face.

"Let's go!" He declared with confidence.

"The hell are you thinking-"

Before Loki could finish, Sting charged forward in a burst of speed and a battle cry, slamming his shoulder into Loki hard, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

Surprised by this, the other members of LNTC sprang into action; Nirnasha created several necroglyphs, summoning several Undead Warriors with swords and crossbows, but they were nothing against Stings strength, as he tossed his baseball bat to the side and simply crushed the Undead Warriors with his bare hands; crushing them under his boots, in between his fists; they didn't even faze him.

With the Undead Warriors out of the way, Sting set his sights on Nirnasha, who switched his scepter to its glaive form and took a swing, only for Sting to catch it by the blade…with his bare hand.

"What?!" Nirnasha gasped at what he was seeing.

"Nice knife." Sting said with a wicked smirk.

He then pulled him in and clotheslined him hard, sending the necromancer tumbling to the ground.

Turoc hovered in the air and fired several arrows, but Sting easily sidestepped the arrows, then hefted a large boulder and threw it at him. The fox-Faunus hovered over the boulder, but then his eyes widened at the sight of Sting practically soaring towards Turoc, hitting him with a dropkick, sending him crashing into the dirt.

With a battle cry, Cenric charged forward, holding his shield before him, aiming to ram the elder Huntsman, only for said Huntsman to grab hold of his shield, then toss it and his hammer aside before grappling with Cenric.

"Played rugby, ya know." Sting declared. "Built up the muscle!"

"Yeah right." Cenric scoffed, despite how much he was struggling to overpower Sting. "You probably went to some cushy Ivy League school."

In response, Sting slammed his head into Cenric's helmet, cracking it in half before ripping it in two, dazing him, before sending a hard right hook to his jaw, sending him to the ground, then attempted to follow up with an uppercut, but Cenric managed to dodge before throwing his own punches. Sting then caught him in an armlock then tried attacking with his free hand; Cenric managed to duck his head under the first three punches, before Sting grabbed him by the throat and held him up.

"Hmph, as if!" Sting sneered. "I'll have you know that I went far from some worthless shmo in the slums of Vacuo to the head honcho of the Silver Scorpion gang. I'm not one of those patriotic blockheads or beltway pansies." He turned around while still holding Cenric. "I could break the strongest Grimm in two… with my bare hands!" He then threw Cenric straight up into the air. "Don't fuck with this scorpion!" As Cenric approached the ground, Sting kicked him right into the wall of the ruins, as cheers are heard for some odd reason.

Loki struggled to his feet, as he looked up to see Sting standing tall and his teammates struggling to get up as well.

"What… the hell are you?" Loki managed to choke out, readying his blades.

Sting simply chuckled in response.

"Why don't you stick around and find out?"

* * *

Back on the cliff, the students were all in a state of shock at what had just transpired, while Ruby and Pyhrra gasped loudly at their friend's situation.

"What the heck was that all of a sudden?" Jaune gasped loudly. "Sting just went Ultra Man out of nowhere!"

"The guys can't even touch him!" Yang said. "Just who is this guy?!"

"Sting had a rough life in the slums of Vacuo." Ozpin explained. "He started as the leader of the Silver Scorpion gang, killing Grimm for money. Later on, however, an overwhelming enemy destroyed his gang, leaving him as the last of the gang. I came across him in a bar, drowning his sorrows, and I convinced him to use his gifts to help others, rather than extort them."

"But he seems so overpowered!" Blake pointed out. "How are they expected to beat him?!"

"That's the whole point of this test, Ms. Belladonna." Ozpin said. "To overcome great odds as a team is of great importance for a team."

"Still doesn't change the fact that it's unfair." Weiss grumbled.

"Come on, you guys!" Ruby declared with enthusiasm. "We gotta have faith in them! I KNOW they can win this!"

"Heck yeah!" Nora whooped. "They can do this!"

Reluctantly, the others simply waited for the results.

* * *

Things were not going well for Team LNTC. The skills they were using was not enough to bring down Sting; even the use of their team attacks weren't slowing him down.

Loki was breathing heavy from the fighting and looked up, seeing Sting simply standing at the foot of the ruins stairs, arms crossed and a smug look on his face.

"Not even a scratch." Loki mumbled, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Nothing we do seem to faze him." Turoc remarked tiredly. "It's like he's invincible somehow."

"There has to be a way to win!" Cenric growled. "Our place in Beacon is on the line here!"

"But what _can_ we do?" Nirnasha asked. "The guy's nearly invincible!"

Taking a moment, Loki looked Sting up and down, taking note of how much sweat ran down Sting's body, how many breathes he took, even some of his face paint was starting to come off.

"Actually, I have one idea." Loki said to his teammates.

"We're listening." Cenric said.

"From the start of the fight, Sting seemed to start off strong," Loki explained. "But now it looks like he's running out of steam because of that power he's using. That's his drawback. My plan is this; we keep wearing him down until he's on his last leg, then deliver the final blow."

"Okay, that makes sense." Turoc admitted. "And it could work."

"It's pretty much our only option at this point." Nirnasha said.

"I can work with that." Cenric said.

"Hey Turoc." Loki turned to his stout teammate. "You got any gadgets we can use for this situation?"

"I have one." Turoc nodded, pulling out a small device. "It can increase our speed, but it's still a prototype, so it'll only work for five minutes."

"Five minutes is all we'll need." Loki smirked, readying his blades. "Time to commence our ultimate team attack: Lunatic Fringe!"

With a nod, Turoc activated the device, the gadget released a sort of blue mist around the boys, as they took fighting stances, as Sting simply stood there, watching. Then in the blink of an eye, the boys vanished in a burst of speed. Gasping slightly, Sting looked around frantically, as the boys practically speeding circles around him, the Cenric rushed in and sent an uppercut with his cybernetic fist to Sting's jaw, sending him skyward, then Nirnasha flew upward and delivered a Semblance powered double hammer fist, sending Sting crashing into the dirt. Before he could get up, he saw Turoc and Loki hovering above him, weapons pointed at him and Loki's guns lights a bright red color, Turoc's crossbow loaded with explosive bolts and both boys smirking widely. The two opened fire, the projectiles of the weapons causing massive explosions.

The smoke clearing, Sting struggled to his feet, only for a pair of skeletal hands to grab hold, as Cenric used his polarity to lift a pair of metal pillars in the ground, the with a swing of his hand, pulled the pillars together on Sting, who then forced his way out, only to then be struck with an explosive bullet from Turoc.

The fight was now tipping in LNTC's favor.

* * *

"Look at 'em go!" Yang declared with excitement. "The guys are pushin' back!"

"Not to mention they're using actual strategy this time around!" Weiss agreed.

"Yeah, they're gonna win for sure now!" Ruby whooped.

"Yeah, they got it this time!" Jaune joined in.

"L-N-T-C! LUUUUUNATIIIIC!" Nora chanted, jumping up and down.

"I knew they could pull through." Ren nodded calmly.

"I knew Cenric could do it." Pyrrha smiled. "He just needed to get along with the others."

"Yeah, I have a feeling that they'll go far." Blake nodded along.

Ozpin watched the scene with a smile.

'I hope you're watching, Odin.' He thought blissfully. 'Your son is already making progress.'

* * *

The fight went on, as Sting was sent crashing into the dirt, as a result of the Lunatic Fringe attack, as the boys surrounded him. As he struggled to stand, baring his teeth, the silver light of his died down.

"He's out of power!" Loki declared. "Now, let's finish this!"

Nodding, Nirnasha made a skeletal fist emerge from the ground under Sting, sending him high into the air, and Turoc grabbed hold of Loki's arms and took off upward. Once the elder Huntsman ceased his ascension, Nirnasha created another necroglyph, allowing Cenric to step on it, as several arms sent him rocketing towards Sting. Then Turoc started to spin forwards, then sent Loki flying towards Sting.

As Loki and Cenric got closer, they reared their left arms back.

"Double…" They began in unison. "LUNATIC LARIET!"

They then struck Sting with a double lariat, then plummeted downwards into the ground, creating a massive crater. As the dust cleared, Loki and Cenric stepped from the crater, a beaten and battered Sting laying behind them.

"We did it!" Nirnasha declared with his arm raised. "We beat Scorpio!"

"Never thought we'd pull it off." Turoc admitted. "But I'm glad I was wrong!"

"Please, I knew all along we would." Cenric smirked. "We just needed the right push."

Smiling, Loki and Cenric gave each other a high five, before turning towards the ruins. Their opponents defeated, Team LNTC walked up the steps with a swagger in their step, as they approached the alter and Loki grabbed the relic and lifted it high in the air.

"Ya-hoo!" Loki whooped, as he turned to his team. "Get settled, boys; we're here to stay!"

After their celebration, a bullhead arrived to pick them up, along with the beaten SCPO.

* * *

After arriving back at the cliff, Teams RWBY, JNPR and LNTC were in high spirits, while SCPO were struggling to remove the bolas that still binded Corrin.

"C'mon, hurry up!" Corrin groaned. "I need some bird lovin'!"

"Don't need to hear that, lass!" Patrick growled, as he struggled with the knot. "Besides, a rope made of extra strong Kevlar isn't exactly easy to undo!"

While that was going on, Ozpin stood before the boys.

"I must say, I'm glad that you boys succeeded in this test." He declared with a smile. "I knew all along that you would pull through."

"Thank you, Headmaster." Loki bowed respectfully. "I'm glad we passed too."

"So am I!" Ruby declared loudly, hugging her friend. "I'd be sad if my best friend had to leave so soon!"

Loki blushed slightly at this.

"Although, I should mention, that the urn you had recovered wasn't truly the relic you were meant to find." Ozpin said, garnering confused looks from the boys and the other two teams. "You see, the relic you were meant to retrieve," He then pointed at the urn. "Is actually _inside_ the urn."

Looking from one to another, the boys of LNTC nodded, then Loki stuck his hand inside the urn and rummaged, sticking his tongue out playfully.

"Got anything?" Nirnasha asked in anticipation.

"Kinda hard to get a hold of it, to be honest." Loki admitted. "Whatever it is, it's kinda…flat."

"Flat?" Nirnasha raised a brow. "Is it a stone tablet?"

"I don't think it's made of stone." Loki said. "Feels more like plastic to me."

"…Plastic?" Cenric repeated with a frown.

With a bit of effort, Loki managed to pull out the object, which seemed to bring them much confusion.

"A joker playing card?" Loki looked at it quizzically.

"That's the relic?" Nirnasha said with confusion.

"Guess playing cards are more valuable than we thought, huh?" Turoc chimed in jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood.

Cenric, however, seemd in no mood for laughs.

"What?"

Everyone looked to Cenric in worry.

"What?!" Cenric repeated, a little louder this time and with more anger in his tone.

"Uhh…Cenric?" Loki said cautiously. "Just calm down, buddy-"

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" Cenric roared at the top of his lungs in fury, making the other students jump with fright. "What kind of bullshit is this?! We went through all that for a STUPID PLAYING CARD?!"

"Whoa, calm down, dude!" Nirnasha said, trying to calm the Spartan. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this!"

"To be fair, Ozzy's always used fairly innocuous objects for his initiations." Sting explained. "I remember back in my team's year, we had to collect totem poles!"

"Totem poles?" Jaune repeated in confusion.

"Not to mention that we had to collect chess pieces during our initiation." Ruby declared. "And Team Coffee talked about how they had to collect playing cards during theirs."

"So don't think Oz is mocking or snubbing you or anything." Sting nodded. "It's just a simple test, so of course we're not using actual relics."

"So, what's the point of this?" Loki asked, holding up the card.

"Well, think about the meaning of the Joker." Sting explained. "The significance of this card in most card games is to act as the wildcard; it's most common ability being able to take on the value of any other card in the deck. It's essentially a card that can play any role, and do anything." He then gestured to the boys. "Basically, Ozpin believes that you boys are a team that is capable of anything, a team of limitless possibilities." He turned to the headmaster. "Right, Ozzy?"

"Of course!" Ozpin nodded with a smile. "That has been my belief since we first met!"

"Wildcard…" Loki mused.

"Do anything…" Nirnasha said.

"Limitless possibilities…" Turoc mused as well.

Cenric remained silent, before letting out a calm sigh.

"And with that, I'd like to say once more," Ozpin began, gaining the boys attention. "Loki Greene, Nirnasha Hex, Turoc Amant, and Cenric Nikos. From this day forward, you for will be known as Team Lunatic, led by Loki Greene." He closed his eyes with a smile. "Congratulations, and welcome to Beacon."

And with that, Team Lunatic celebrated with their new friends in Ruby and Juniper, happy for their official entry into Beacon.

* * *

 _The next day…_

* * *

It was a Saturday morning, the students got up for breakfast. Meanwhile in Team RWBY's dorm, the girls were discussing several things about their new neighbors.

"So, what do you guys think?" She asked with a smile. "I'm soooo glad to have Loki back in my life! I've missed him so much!"

"From the sound of it, you seem to care about him as more than a friend." Blake pointed out, looking up from her book.

"I-It's nothing like that!" Ruby stuttered, blushing. "It's just been such a long time since we last saw each other!" She then frowned sadly. "For five years, I hadn't heard word of him in so long, I had feared the worst." She then smiled. "Now that he's back, I feel like it's my chance to rekindle that friendship we once had!"

At that moment, Yang stepped out of the bathroom with her usual outfit and a towel around her head.

"I'll be honest, I'm glad to see the twerp back." She said with a smile.

"Wait, you are?!" Ruby said in surprise.

"Heck yeah!" Yang declared. "Sure, he got on my nerves a lot, but I missed him a lot too. He always helped make a boring day much more exciting!"

"Not to mention his teammates." Weiss interjected. "I'm interested in learning more about Mr. Hex and how he came up. And if Hex is truly his last name."

"Turoc is a cool guy too; even offered me with help in writing a book!" Blake chimed in. "I've been thinking about writing a book of my own!"

"And then there's Cenric~." Yang said with a sultry grin. "Whoo, he's quite the hot stud!"

The other three looked to each other with frowns before looking back at the brawler.

"Uh, Yang? Don't you remember what happened last time you tried flirting with him?" Ruby asked. "He basically deflected your advances without flinching!"

"And besides, he's a tough nut to crack." Blake joined in. "I don't think trying to seduce him is going to be easy, let alone possible."

"I made a bit of progress the day before!" Yang defended. "That has to count for something!"

"Anyways, this is our chance to really welcome them as fellow Huntsmen in training!" Ruby declared, standing up. "As leader, I say that we make sure that they have the best time in Beacon!"

In agreement, the girls cheered in affirmative unison.

"Well, let's get dressed so we can meet them and Juniper for breakfast!" Yang declared as she started to undo her towel.

As she removed the towel, however, she noticed the other girls mouths drop in shock, all three expressions, locked on her.

"…What?" She asked in confusion.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in LNTC's room…_

* * *

The boys were laughing loudly, as Cenric was telling some of his stories from Sanctum.

"So wait, let me get this straight!" Turoc said, trying to control his laughter. "You mean the combat instructor was about my height?!"

"A head shorter, actually!" Cenric said with a grin. "Whenever he had to yell at someone, he had to drag over a footlocker, stand on top of it, then yell at them."

Nirnasha laughed loudly.

"Man that must've made it hard to not laugh!" He declared.

"Pyrrha made that mistake once." Cenric smirked. "When she snorted, the instructor looked at her sharply, then step down, drag the footlocker over in front of her, stand on top of it, then yell at her." He then did an imitation of an instructor. "OH, YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?! OPEN YOUR FAT FACE!"

The boys howled with laughter.

"I still can't get over the one about the port-a-potty." Nirnasha chuckled.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Cenric groaned. "I still have flashbacks of how the tall instructor would shake the thing." He shivered. "I was scared he was gonna tip the thing over!"

As they shared funny stories, Loki felt his scroll vibrate. Opening it up, he saw a text message from Ruby, and the words seemed urgent.

"Loki, run. NOW!"

Chuckling, Loki put his scroll away.

'Well, time for the chase to begin!' He thought, standing up before saying with a stretch. "Well, time for me to head to class, boys!"

The boys looked at him with confusion.

"But it's the weekend." Turoc pointed out.

"Boy, you said it!" Loki laughed, heading for the window instead of the door. "Okay, you guys take it easy!"

And with that, he left out the window, leaving his team with confused expressions.

"What was that about?" Nirnasha asked.

"No clue." Cenric shrugged.

Before they could continue, however, the door slammed open, and they turned and their faces went with shock at the sight of a furious Yang Xiao Long, her teeth bared and her eyes burning with rage…and her hair a dark green color!

"Oh…" Turoc muttered fearfully. "…Shit."

* * *

In the lobby, Ozpin and Sting were having a discussion.

"I'm glad to see that the survival exercise worked out well." The headmaster declared.

"Same here," Sting said with a grin. "I told you it was effective!"

"Maybe now, we can focus on the investigation," Ozpin said grimly. "The White Fang has been getting bolder nowadays."

"It would seem so." Sting nodded. "Not to mention the Hags minions have been busy lately. Even tried to kill a man for attempting to leave the Fang. Good thing Loki stepped in when he did."

"I have a feeling that Lunatic will be more useful in more ways than one," Ozpin said. "As a black ops unit, they can do things that no other team can do by normal means."

"I agree." Sting nodded once more. "A wildcard team like them might be willing to get their hands dirty." He then frowned. "But do you really think Nirnasha's Semblance can help with _her_ condition?"

"Given the right circumstances, yes." Ozpin nodded. "If my theory is correct…"

At that moment, a black crow flew in, then transformed in Qrow, as he landed on his feet.

"Ah, Qrow, perfect timing." Ozpin smiled. "Any news?"

"Not much, I'm afraid." Qrow sighed. "Just the same as always; Dust store robbery, Huntsmen going missing; it's the same shit."

Before they could continue, however, there was a thunderous roar.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

They looked to see a smirking Loki running out the hallway, with a furious Yang on his tail.

"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" Yang roared furiously.

"You have to catch me first!" Loki dared a taunt.

Ozpin and Sting looked on, while Qrow simply facepalmed with a sigh.

"Same shit as always." He sighed, as the two rushed by. "Loki, why do you do this to yourself?"

"'Cause I'mma troll." Loki answered with a trollface grin.

This was going to be an interesting four years.

* * *

 _Later that night…_

* * *

When night fell, Cinder Fall walked through the Emerald Forest, walking towards what looked like a blazing light. After persuading her cohorts to stay behind, she snuck out of Beacon at night to get a closer look at the light.

For she knew full well what it meant.

As she got closer, she noticed that it was no mere light, it was a fire. Approaching the site, she saw that the area was coated with crimson flame, forming what looked like a ring of fire.

Suddenly, there was a loud thumping sound, followed by another, until it started to sound more like footsteps as it got closer.

Looking up, Cinder's eyes widened, as a massive, tall, muscular figure with a dominating presence approached, his body composed of fire and black ash. He had red glowing eyes and two massive horns bent upwards on his forehead and he was dragging along with looked like an equally massive flaming sword that left a fiery trail as he walked.

He towered over Cinder, looking down at her with a narrowed look on his face.

"Master…" Cinder finally broke the silence.

The Man on Fire bent down slightly, coming face to face with Cinder, his fire glowing against her skin.

"…Hello." He spoke, his voice taking a demonic tone. "Cinder."

* * *

 **Finally, I've been waiting to reach this part for the longest time! Glad to see I finally made it! Thank you guys so much, and huge thanks to moguera for his help and suggestions, he's been a huge help!**

 **And before you guys go fact-checking me in the reviews; yes, Sting is a Silver-Eyed Warrior and I'm aware that my version isn't how it works in canon, but I'm kicking canon to the curb here, because all the cool fan fiction writers are doing it! Plus, I wanted to have a different take on how the silver eyes work, plus Sting isn't the focus of this story, LNTC is! Speaking of Sting, let's get a rundown of him and his crew:**

 **Sting was inspired (maybe too much) by the real-life wrestler Sting. His baseball bat, Ole' Reliable, can project a forcefield and fire rockets. His Semblance allows him to spit out toxins, from poisons to acid.**

 **Corrin was obviously based off of Corrin from Fire Emblem Fates, the female one. Her Semblance is inspired by the power to shape one's body into weaponry from the Prototype video games.**

 **As I said in one of the previous chapters, Patrick is inspired by Shay Cormac from Assassin's Creed Rogue. I haven't decided on a Semblance yet.**

 **Oliver Oswald is inspired by Harry Hart from the Kingsman movie. He doesn't have a Semblance, but he makes up for it with his skills and his umbrella.**

 **By the way, I finally got a cover art for the story just to give you an idea of what the boys in LNTC look like. The artist is Marius15, I highly recommend that you check out his art, he's super talented.**

 **Anyways, I apologize if some parts of the chapter look rushed, I'm trying to make fixes as I see them, but I hope you continue to keep reading and enjoying and showing support. Anyways, now we end Volume One and move on to Volume Two! Anyways, see you guys in the next chapter! Don't forget to review!**


	10. Starting From Scratch

Team LNTC

Chapter Ten: Volume Two

Starting From Scratch

Several weeks had passed since LNTC's official initiation (And Loki's prank on Yang, which resulted in an intervention from Mrs. Goodwitch), LNTC and their new friends decided to spend more time together; doing school activities together, training, going shopping, even going on missions to exterminated Grimm near other settlements. After spend some decent time together, LNTC had become good friends with Team's RWBY and JNPR; Loki rekindling his friendship with Ruby and getting to know Jaune better, Nirnasha telling Weiss about his experiences in Vacuo and spending time meditating with Ren, Turoc giving Blake advice in writing books while even offering to work with her in writing, and constantly reminding Nora that he keeps his crossbow with him at all times should she ever attempt to sneak up on him again, and Cenric was spending time training with Yang, who still can't seem to get one over the Spartan, and even spending more time with Pyrrha again, although they avoided talking about their problem for now to focus on what's in front of them, even spending time helping Pyrrha train Jaune, even spending time sparring with Nora, who wanted to see which of them has the 'bigger hammer'.

That's not to say it was _all_ good. Over the few weeks, Yang was still threatening to destroy Loki for the stunt he pulled with her hair, and several other pranks that he pulled on her since the initiation, mostly the ones that involve turning her hair green, among other things, so the two were forced to go through a bonding exercise. All that's needed to be said was that it involved handcuffs.

* * *

Now the three teams sat in the library sat around a table with the board game _Remnant: The Game_ at the center with several pieces scattered on the surface. The players sat in intense silence; Loki sitting at one side of the table, Ruby sat next to him, then Cenric, and finally Yang, all holding cards in their hands and all with serious concentrated expressions on their faces while their teammates watched in silence.

"Remind me what this game is about again." Nirnasha whispered to Weiss for the fourth time.

"For the hundredth time, Nirnasha," Weiss rolled her eyes. "Remnant: the game is about conquering the world by defeating other players on the board!"

"They sure are into this game." Turoc remarked. "Does everyone play this game with this level of seriousness?"

"Only the most serious of players." Jaune said, before turning to Pyrrha. "By the way, I've never seen Cenric take this game so seriously like this. Is this the first time?"

"Growing up, he's always taken board games seriously." Pyrrha replied. "Every time he'd always beat me at any board game we play; this, along with checkers, chess, even shogi."

"Never really thought Cenric was the type to play board games." Nirnasha shrugged. "Learn something new every day."

The four players sat in silence for another solid minute, before Ruby broke the silence.

"Alright!" She declared as she pointed dramatically at Yang. "Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!"

"Bring it on!" Yang smirked.

"I deploy the Atlesian Air Fleet!" Ruby declared, making Yang gasp dramatically. "Looks I get to fly right over your Ursai and attack your walls directly!"

Ruby then proceeded to make airplane noises.

"You fiend!" Yang gasped.

"And since Atlas is part of Mantle," Ruby went on with a cocky grin. "My repair time only lasts one turn."

Yang's sudden chuckle made Ruby uneasy.

"Pretty sneaky, sis," The brawler admitted as she held up a card. "But you've just activated my trap card!"

Ruby gasped dramatically.

"Giant Nevermore!" Yang declared as she slammed her fist on the table. "If I roll a seven or higher, Fatal Feathers will slice your fleet in two!"

"But if you roll a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your own forces!" Ruby pointed out.

"That's just a chance I'm willing to take." Yang smirked as she then rolled the dice, her smirk growing wider as the die landed on the number she wanted. "Hah!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO, MY FEARLESS SOLDIERS!" Ruby wailed loudly.

"Don't worry, Ruby; I'll save you!" Loki declared dramatically, as he flipped up one of his facedown cards. "For Yang has stepped into my own trap! Trap Backfire!"

Yang gasped in shock, while Ruby squealed with joy.

"If I call a coin flip right, the effects of your trap card reverses on you!" Loki declared as he pulled out a coin.

"But if you call it wrong, not only does Ruby's army still take the damage, you take twice as much!" Yang pointed out.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" Loki smirked as he flipped the coin. "I call heads!"

The coin flipped high in the air, turning over and over, as the students watched in anticipation, while Cenric simply turned his eyes upward to look, the coin falling on the table, the result making Loki's grin grow wider.

"YES, IT LANDED ON HEADS!" He yelled, pumping his fists high.

"Impossible!" Yang yelled in disbelief.

"Yeah, way to go, Loki!" Ruby whooped. "I knew you cared!"

Loki's smirk didn't fade, however, as he flipped up another card.

"I also play the quick-play spell; Forced Subjugation." He said coyly. "With this instant kill card, I forcefully subjugate another kingdom; I choose Atlas!"

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?!" Ruby gasped. "Lokiiiii, I thought we were friends!"

"Sorry, Ruby, but I'm looking out for number one." Loki chuckled. "And besides, I need your airships to reach Mistral later."

Cenric raised his head a bit at this before turning his attention back to the cards in his hand.

"You double-crossing fiend!" Yang growled.

The game went onward, Yang trying to get the upper hand, but Loki was one step ahead, while Cenric simply waited.

"…And with that, I claim both Atlas AND Vacuo!" Loki laughed.

"This sucks!" Yang slumped in her chair.

"Stay strong, Yang!" Ruby fake cried as she leaped into her sisters arms. "We'll make it through this together!"

"Sorry, girls." Loki chuckled. "I'm just invincible!"

"Now hold on there, Trickster." Cenric spoke up with a frown. "How can you claim to be invincible when I'm still standing?"

The other students watched in anticipation, as Loki and Cenric engaged in an intense stare off.

"Vale versus Mistral." Cenric declared. "Winner. Takes. Remnant."

"Oh, you are sooo going down." Loki smirked.

The game went on, the two boys playing their best moves, both taking the lead before losing it, until they were left with half.

"Looks like you're left with half the kingdom you started with, Trickster." Cenric smirked. "What will you do now?"

Thinking for a moment, Loki closed his eyes and brought hands together, pressing the finger tips together.

"What's he doing?" Jaune asked.

"That's Loki's Thinking Mode." Ruby said. "He does that whenever he needs to strategize in any game."

As Loki focused, his face twisted with various expressions, before settling on a smirk as he opened his eyes.

"I activate five spell cards!" Loki declared, setting down five cards face up. "The first one I play is Desert Scavenge, allowing me to go through my opponents discard pile and use their cards. Resourceful Raider allows me to add one of my opponents discarded cards to my hand. Third card, Fortify, allows me to increase the defenses on my walls by twenty percent. Fourth card, Reinforcement of the Army, allows me to bring two soldier cards to the field. And finally," He set his final card. "I activate Fire Volley, which takes your army down by fifty percent!"

The other students gasped, as Cenric's eyes widened with surprise.

"And with that, I bring all of Remnant to its knees." Loki smirked. "I now hold the entire world with an iron fist!"

He then laughed a burst of evil laughter.

"You clever little bastard." Cenric said before chuckling. "Well played."

"I demand a rematch!" Ruby declared. "I will avenge my fallen comrades!"

"Anytime, anyplace." Loki said with a smirk. "But not right now. We have plans today, remember?"

"Oh, right." Ruby said with a smile. "We're supposed to spend time in town today!"

"Oh yeah, that's right." Yang said, nodding.

After saying their goodbyes, Ruby, Yang and Loki left the library to spend the day together.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Team CMSN's guest room, Cinder, Emerald and Mercury sat inside; her two subordinates were discussing things about the Vytal Festival coming up, while Cinder simply sat at a desk pushed up against the window, looking outside. Her thoughts were drifting back to the night she met her master again…

* * *

 _That night…_

* * *

Cinder looked up at the Man on Fire, who simply looked down at her with a dark expression, as Cinder did her best to not appear intimidated in front of her old master, though it seemed impossible, given his dominating presence.

"Hello…Cinder." The Man on Fire said in a monotone, demonic tone. "It's been a long time, since we last met."

"I-It certainly has, Master." Cinder nodded, bowing respectfully but also fearfully.

"No need for such formality." The Man on Fire said with a dark chuckle. "You're grown enough to no longer consider yourself my disciple."

"As you wish…" Cinder hesitated, before swallowing nervously. "…Flamvell."

The fire giant let out a burst of loud, demonic laughter, black smoke emitting from his mouth. His laughter subsiding, the fire demon leaned forward, his expression narrowed.

"Tell me, Cinder," He said. "Do you remember how we first met?"

"I could never forget that day." Cinder said, looking down at the ground. "I was only a little girl when we met."

"And why was that?" Flamvell asked, almost demanding.

Cinder knew this game all too well. It wasn't just reminiscing of the past; it was a test to see if Cinder remains loyal to her former master.

"I ran away from home." Cinder recalled with ease. "My parents wouldn't care, of course; I was adopted and they never loved me. Even my siblings despised me. One night, I snuck out into the woods and ended up encountering Grimm. I was scared and crying…and then you showed up."

"I was out for a stroll, when I just happened to come upon you." Flamvell said with a shrug. "And do you know what happened next?"

"After you killed the Grimm, you made me an offer." Cinder said. "You offered me a way out. A path for power."

"And what did you do to prove your desire?" Flamvell asked. "Your thirst for strength?"

"I had to kill them." Cinder said with no hesitation. "All of them."

"And burn the house down." The fire giant said with a slight chuckle. "And from that day onward, I made you my disciple."

Cinder remembered that day; the blood, the bodies, and the fire.

"Remember what you promised, Cinder." Flamvell said in a menacing tone. "You swore an oath to me; that you will take the Fall Maiden's power and become my champion."

"I'm working on it." Cinder insisted. "I already have half of it; I'm so close. I just need more time."

"You have until the end of the Vytal Festival to take that power, Cinder." Flamvell said. "Remember; you may no longer be my disciple, but I still own you." He stood up straight and turned his back to her. "Don't forget that."

And with that, the fire giant simply walked off, leaving Cinder in the ring of fire before leaving herself.

* * *

 _Present…_

* * *

"Cinder?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and turned, seeing Emerald giving her a concerned look, while Mercury was simply laying down on his bed, reading a comic book.

"Is everything alright?" Emerald asked with concern.

Cinder thought for a moment, before closing her eyes with a smile.

"Don't worry about me, Emerald." She said with an assured tone. "I was just looking back on old memories."

Though she didn't seem satisfied with her answer, Emerald nodded, before sitting at the foot of the bed close to Mercury, before pulling out her scroll.

With a quiet sigh, Cinder looked back to the window, looking up at the clouds.

'I must succeed.' She thought to herself. 'No matter what, I MUST succeed!'

* * *

Blake sat in her room, curled up on her bed, lost in thought, her mind going back to that day at the docks; seeing the White Fang working with Roman Torchwick, a human, which bothered Blake greatly. Does Adam know of this arrangement? Does Sienna know?

Better yet…does Patrick know?

"You know, it's really not okay to worry others."

Gasping sharply, she looked to see Turoc standing at the door, arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

"Turoc?!" Blake gasped in surprise. "How did you get in here?!"

Grinning, Turoc reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small lock pick-like device.

"Door hacks." Turoc declared, before pocketing the device. "Never leave home without it."

They remained in awkward silence for a moment, before Blake asked, "What're you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd check up on my favorite reading buddy." Turoc said with a casual shrug. "You've been acting distant…again, but more so than usual."

"It doesn't really concern you." Blake said, looking away.

"Shadow Cat, I run the largest spy ring in all four kingdoms." Turoc declared firmly. "I've dealt with harassment from White Fang sympathizers, White Fang fearists, and the White Fang themselves." He pulled up a chair and sat down close to Blake. "And considering that we're both students here, and that you yourself used to be a member of the White Fang, it does in fact concern me."

When Blake remained silent, Turoc let out a sigh.

"Look, we can do this one of two ways," He started. "One; you can tell me what's up right now." He then grinned. "Or I could have my contacts find out for me!"

Blake looked at him sharply, her eyes narrowed at him.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Turoc gave a smug grin. "Your choice."

Sighing, Blake eventually gave in, telling Turoc about her time in the White Fang leading up to her defection, then the encounter with the White Fang and Torchwick at the docks; all the while Turoc listening intently. After Blake finished, Turoc took his time to speak.

"Well, you've certainly found yourself in quite the situation." Turoc remarked.

"I just don't know understand how everyone can be so calm." Blake said with a sigh. "Torchwick, the White Fang… Something BIG is happening and no one is doing anything about it!"

"Look, I get how you feel." Turoc said. "But we aren't exactly ready to face these kinds of enemies. Now if it were only the White Fang, then maybe we'd stand a chance." He then shook his head. "But if there's an even larger threat looming over the horizon, this would be something to take to Ozpin."

"But I can't!" Blake shooked her head. "People will ask questions about how I know this information, and eventually, they'll piece together that I'm actually a former member of the White Fang!"

"Soooo, what? You rather we stumble around in the dark?" Turoc said with a raised brow. "You seem to forget that we're still Huntsmen and Huntress' in training. We're not ready for this kind of thing."

"And we may never BE ready!" Blake retorted loudly, taking Turoc by surprise. "Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around and wait for graduation day! They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and nobody knows what it is, but it's coming!" She took a moment to calm down. "Whether we're ready or not."

Thinking for a moment, Turoc could feel the determination in her voice, see the fire in her eyes, the desire to find the truth. It reminds him so much of himself.

Smiling a bit, Turoc sighed.

"I see that there's no changing your mind." He said. "I understand, and I want to help. And I'm certain our friends would like to help out as well."

"You think so?" Blake asked.

"Definitely." Turoc nodded. "After all, that's how teamwork works, right?" He then frowned. "But if things go fubar, you need to promise that we tell Ozpin the whole story. We can't risk a similar incident or make the Academies look bad. Deal?"

"I'm fine with that." Blake nodded, shaking his hand.

"Sounds like a plan to me!"

Both Faunus' jumped, spinning around to see Loki at the foot of one of the bunk beds, grinning from ear to ear.

"Loki?!" Blake said in surprise. "How long have-? Aren't you supposed to be out with Ruby and Yang?"

"Actually, I am." Loki said with a shrug. "I'm just using my Semblance to speak with you guys!"

And with that, Loki vanished, leaving Blake confused, while Turoc simply sighed.

"Right, his Semblance." He said. "He can cast illusions of himself depending on the situation."

* * *

Later on, Nirnasha stayed in the library, with Weiss at his side, looking through several books on the shelves. With their teammates gone, Nirnasha stayed in the library to browse some books, while Weiss stayed behind to hopefully get to know him better.

"Hmmm… I see they have a book I'm looking for." Nirnasha mused. "The Book of the Dead…"

"You seem interested in books regarding spirits." Weiss remarked.

"I take an interest in anything regarding similarities to my Semblance." Nirnasha declared. "Helps me understand it better, and therefore increasing my effectiveness in the field."

"I guess that's one way of looking at it." Weiss mused.

After renting their chosen books, Weiss and Nirnasha left the library and walked down the hall.

"I was wondering about your Semblance." Weiss said. "Like how did you discover it?"

"Really?" Nirnasha said. "Well, if you must know, my father was an undertaker back in Vacuo, working with dead bodies and digging graves. When I was young, my grandmother died a long time ago. I was sad, then," He pointed to the marks over his eyes. "These marks I was born with started to glow, and her spirit appeared. I remembered being so terrified, but her spirit calmed me down, assuring that she would always watch over me." He smiled a bit. "That's when I realized my Spirit Caller Semblance; my gift for communing with the dead and bringing them to the land of the living."

"Your Semblance sounds quite unique." Weiss remarked. "I've never heard of something quite like it."

"Actually, it's not so different from yours." Nirnasha declared, noting Weiss' confusion. "You see, your Glyohs and my Spirit Caller can summon spirits to help us in combat."

"Not really." Weiss frowned. "You see, my Semblance isn't restricted to just summoning, although my sister has much more experience. My family Semblance allows me to summon defeated foes as my allies, while yours calls spirits of the departed."

"That might be true." Nirnasha admitted. "But you can't really deny the similarities; that being that our Semblances can summon allies from unexpected places."

"That's also true." Weiss nodded. "Nirnasha, if it's alright with you, I would like to learn more about you. And If Hex is really your last name."

"As you wish." Nirnasha chuckled. 'And in the meantime, you can tell me about yours."

"That sounds fair." Weiss agreed.

The two continued walking, books in hand.

* * *

In the training room, Jaune and Pyrrha were engaged against Cenric in a two-on-one combat session, the two charging at the Spartan, who stood his ground, shield raised in defense.

Pyrrha charged ahead, her shield colliding with Cenric's, the Nikos twins putting as much force they could apply to overpower the other, but Cenric proved to be much stronger, as he stepped forward with a push, sending Pyrrha skidding back a bit. Switching her weapon to rifle mode, Pyrrha fired away, the bullets bouncing against Cenric's shield, as he slowly stepped forward, step by step, then slammed his shield against her, then swung his hammer, hitting her in the chin, sending her into the air and crashing into the ground.

As Pyrrha struggled to get up, Jaune charged forward, swinging his sword, as Cenric easily dodged the attacks, then Jaune reared his arm back and tried to stab at him, but Cenric managed to swat the attack with the back of his shield, then struck him in the gut with the blunt end of his hammer, then slammed his shield against him, sending him tumbling to the ground and clumsily dropping his weapons.

As Cenric switched his weapon to its spear form and held it against Jaune's neck, Pyrrha made to get up.

"No." Cenric said in an aggressive tone, stopping Pyrrha in her tracks, as he gave Jaune a serious look. "A true Huntsman NEVER lets his back hit the ground! Even in the face of death, a Huntsman always stands tall for battle!" He then raised his voice. "You are a Huntsman, are you not?!"

Swallowing nervously, Jaune nodded, "Yes!"

With a sigh, Cenric put away his weapons and pulled Jaune up, then shut down the arena shield, ending the session.

"Your skills have improved, like Pyrrha said." Cenric said, taking his helmet off. "But you still need to improve on your hold on your weapons and your stances. If you were in a real fight, you'd be dead!"

"R-Right." Jaune nodded.

After getting cleaned up and changed, Jaune left to join up with Ren and Nora, leaving Pyrrha and Cenric alone in the locker room. After putting her weapons away in her locker and changing into a simple red tanktop and jeans, Pyrrha looked over her shoulder to Cenric, who had just put away his weapons and armor, changing into a pair of cargo shorts and a black muscle shirt, her eyes locked onto his cybernetic arm, her heart aching with guilt of that day.

Letting out a sigh, Pyrrha worked up the courage to walk over to him, standing behind him.

"Cenric." She managed to speak up. "I was hoping we could talk."

Cenric didn't respond, only proceeded to place his armor and weapons in his locker.

"I'm sorry about what happened that day." Pyrrha apologized. "It was selfish of what I did, and-"

The sound of Cenric slamming his locker shut was all that was needed to silence Pyrrha, as Cenric turned her gaze to meet her, obsidian eyes meeting emerald, both standing in silence, before Cenric decided to break it.

"I cannot forgive you." He said coldly. "After all that we went through, I ended up being ignored, while you were place on a pedestal, a goddess that can do no wrong, and can't be criticized no matter what. Nothing I did could ever amount to that of the 'Invincible Girl'."

Pyrrha wanted to say something, but Cenric wasn't finished.

"I admit, I reacted in the wrong way." He said. "But after you basically forgot I existed and didn't even consider how I felt, and how everyone, including father, treated you with higher regard than me, no matter how hard I tried."

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha said, her voice cracking and tears welling in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. All I want is my brother back. Please, forgive me!"

Cenric gave it some thought, before speaking.

"The Vytal Festival will be in another month or so, right?" He asked, getting a nod from his twin. "If you wish to earn my forgiveness, then face me in the single rounds. We have a score to settle." He walked over and stood beside her, not breaking eye contact. "Once that's done, then I can forgive you."

And with that, Cenric left, leaving Pyrrha with her head hung low.

* * *

Back in the streets of Vale, Loki, Yang and Ruby were walking down the sidewalk, having a fun time as they stopped by store to store, and making a long stop at one of the weapon shops, where Ruby was practically drooling over some of the weapon modifications in stock.

After a bit of walking, the trio stopped by the park and went to the swing set.

"Whoo! What a day!" Yang let out a heavy sigh, as she sat on a nearby bench. "And Ruby just couldn't leave the weapons store!"

"They had some new modifications in stock! I needed to get some improvements for Crescent Rose!" Ruby protested before sitting in one of the swings, then looked to Loki with those puppy dog eyes. "Push me?"

"Sure." Loki chuckled, getting behind Ruby and started pushing her. "Man, this reminds me of the old days!"

"Almost seems like yesterday when we were just kids." Yang declared with a chuckle, before frowning. "But Loki? What happened over the last five years?"

Loki knew that Yang and Ruby were going to ask for more details about the tribe he lived with. Given the chief's relation to Yang, he'd have to be careful with how he worded himself.

"Well, you already know that I was raised by a bandit tribe after my father was killed." Loki said. "There was also that short haired tomboy the chief kept close to her for some reason; she certainly had a hand in my training. The first year I spent most of my time training, but it was during my second and third years that the chief had me start participating in the raids she orchestrated. They always seemed to go well, for some reason."

"How so?" Ruby asked.

"I'm not sure." Loki said. "The raids always seemed to be lucky with the weather, like a heavy storm rolling in to cover an attack or retreat. There would be sudden explosions of fire or ice appearing seemingly out of nowhere. We'd always have some stroke of luck."

"But what about this chief you speak of?" Yang asked. "Who exactly was this person?"

Loki paused for a moment, momentarily forgetting that he was pushing Ruby to think about what Yang asked.

"I-"

But before he could proceed with his line of thought, Ruby came back and accidentally hit him, knocking him down with an oof.

"Oh, Loki!" Ruby yelped, jumping out of the swing and rushing to Loki's side. "Are you alright?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Loki nodded, getting up and dusting himself off. "Guess I forgot what I was doing."

"That's kinda my fault."

The trio turned to see Qrow and Corrin approach, the former making Ruby go starry eyed.

"UNCLE QROOOOOOWWW!" She squealed, throwing herself at her uncle, wrapping around her uncle's arm. "Hi!"

Qrow easily lifted Ruby up with one arm, her legs dangling.

"Oooohhh, it's so good to see you!" Ruby squealed happily, swinging her legs about. "Didja miss me?! DIDJA MISS ME?!"

Qrow simply looked at her with a serious expression…before cracking into a smile.

"Nope."

Qrow then ruffled his niece's hair, before Ruby gasped and jumped off, brushing herself off and turning to Loki with a nervous chuckle.

"S-Sorry about that!" She said with a nervous laugh.

"Don't apologize." Loki said with a chuckle and a smile. "I thought it was adorable."

Ruby blushed heavily at this.

"So, what're you kids up to?" Qrow asked.

"We were just catchin' up on old times!" Yang declared with a smile, before throwing a sideways look at Loki. "And interrogating Loki on why he disappeared for five years."

"Is that so?" Qrow mused.

"Guys, you saw my initiation." Loki said with a frown. "You basically heard everything I said when I was talking with Cenric. And I already told you how the chief trained me."

"Yeah, but not the whole story." Yang pressed. "Just who was this bandit leader who took you in?"

Before Loki could respond, Qrow laid a hand on the tricksters shoulder.

"Now that you mention it, there's something we need to talk about." He said with a frown. "Privately."

And with that, Loki was dragged away, leaving Yang and Ruby with confused expressions.

"Don't worry about them, girls!" Corrin declared with a grin. "Time for us girls to have our fun!"

* * *

Qrow and Loki were walking down a path in the park, taking in the scenery.

"Nice weather we're havin', huh?" Qrow spoke up.

"Yeah, looks like it, huh." Loki agreed.

They walked in silence, before Qrow spoke up.

"Right, so let's cut to the chase." He said. "I know you've been with Raven over the last five years."

"Straight to the point, huh?" Loki remarked. "How'd you know?"

"I visit the tribe from time to time." Qrow said. "She told me about how she found you and trained you."

"So you _have_ been searching for me." Loki said.

"Of course I have!" Qrow said. "You were Ruby's best friend! Not to mention you were like a son to me. So of course I've been looking for you!" He then frowned. "But Raven made me promise not to tell anyone about you; she was afraid about how folks would react to Loki living under her."

"And by 'folks', you mean Yang?" Loki pointed out with a raised brow.

"Yes, I mean Yang." Qrow sighed. "I'm sure Raven already told you, and you already saw, but Raven is a very complicated person. Given that, you do understand that Yang might be… obsessed, with that, right?"

"But shouldn't Yang at least know who Raven is?" Loki asked. "She clearly wants to know the woman who birthed her!"

"I understand that." Qrow said. "But Yang doesn't know half the stuff about Raven and what she did. If she did know that you practically lived with her mom, she'll no doubt pester you about it. Not only that, but she _and_ Ruby would be upset if they knew those raids you mentioned were against farmer settlements."

Loki lowered his head, ashamed, as he remembered those moments.

"Look, all I'm sayin' is keep it to yourself for now." Qrow said. "There will be a time and place for Yang to know about Raven. But now is not that time."

"I understand." Loki sighed.

They stood in silence for a while, before Qrow patted Loki's back.

"Come on, kiddo." Qrow said with a smiled. "We've still got time before you gotta head back to Beacon, so let's head out to eat!"

"Sure!" Loki replied with a smile.

And with that, the two walked off to meet their companions, unaware of a certain black raven watching from the tree lines above.

* * *

 **And there's the new chapter! We get to see interaction between Teams RWBY and LNTC, with a small inclusion of JNPR, and a glimpse of what the baddies are up to. Not much else to say here, except be looking forward to more chapters! Until then, be sure to review!**


	11. Game Plan

Team LNTC

Chapter Eleven: Volume Two

Game Plan

Several weeks passed, as Patrick and Winter were standing at the corner of a street, with several police officers combing the area for clues, while the ambulance carted away a stretcher with a dead body on it, cover with a blanket. As Patrick sighed, he took note of the approach of Qrow and Corrin.

"Another murder?" Qrow inquired.

"Yeah." Patrick nodded grimly. "This time, it was a veteran Huntsman."

"Damn." Qrow cursed. "First, the murders in Atlas, and now this. Are the killings connected in some way?"

"I don't think so." Winter spoke up. "From the way the body was cut up and split into pieces, this looks like the work of the Light Slayers."

"Light Slayers?" Corrin repeated skeptically. "What kinda dumbass name is that?"

"And how can you tell it was them?" Qrow asked.

"We found this symbol on the victim's body." Patrick said, pulling out a sheet of paper.

Showing it to them, on the paper was a crudely drawn eye with what looked like a dagger going through it.

"As hard as it is to believe, this is their symbol." Patrick said. "These guys have been targeting Huntsmen for quite some time. No matter what they're called, be it the Light Slayers, the Black Knights, or even the Shutdowners, they're dangerous."

"I could handle them!" Corrin declared smugly with a smirk. "No amount of these bastards can take me down!"

"Do not underestimate them." Winter warned. "These people are capable enough to kill even the most veteran Huntsman."

Before they could continue, however, they took notice of a Faunus run by, his hand over his mouth. The Faunus had wolf ears at the top of his head, his hair a dark grey color, his eyes a dark brown color and he seemed to be in his late twenties, wearing a black suit and a loose red tie and a pair of black gloves.

The four watched as the Faunus threw up into a nearby trashcan, much to Patrick's annoyance.

"Desmond, how long are you gonna keep acting like a rookie?" He asked with a stern tone. "Do you want to be sent back to the central office!?"

"I-I'm sorry…" The wolf-Faunus groaned and coughed, bits of throw up on his mouth.

"Go wash your face." Patrick ordered with a sigh. "We're gonna go around and gather information!"

After saying their goodbyes to Qrow and Corrin, Patrick and Winter left, with the wolf-Faunus following behind.

"Well, guess we'd better head back." Qrow suggested.

"Yeah." Corrin shrugged. "We can head to Chef Out some other day."

The two moved on, away from the crime scene.

* * *

Back at Beacon, LNTC, RWBY, and JNPR were sat at the table, enjoying their lunch, while quietly discussing their plan to investigate the White Fang.

"So, it's all settled, right?" Ruby whispered silently to her friends. "After classes tomorrow, we head for the city a bit after four?"

"That's right." Loki nodded. "Once we're in the city, we'll split up. Ruby will be with me, Yang with Cenric, Weiss with Turoc, while Blake sticks with Nirnasha. We'll each take a different part of the city districts to find any information involving the White Fang." He then turned to his stout teammate. "Turoc, can you use your spy network to help?"

"Of course." Turoc nodded with a smirk. "I'll see if my guys can look into anything involving the White Fang."

"Alright, good." Loki nodded. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, why is Nirnasha paired with me?" Blake deadpanned. "Wouldn't it make more sense for Turoc to be paired up with me?"

"Since he lived in Vacuo his whole life, Nirnasha has some level of understanding of the Faunus." Loki explained. "Through that, he's learned several things about the White Fang as well. And Turoc will be getting into contact with his ring of spies to scour for info."

"That doesn't make sense." Blake said with a frown.

"Don't worry, Miss Belladonna." Nirnasha assured. "I came prepared with the perfect disguise."

"Oh really?" Yang said with a cheeky grin. "Does it involve a kitty headband or a strap on tail?"

"Shut it." Nirnasha hissed. "It involves nothing like that!"

"And what about us?" Jaune asked, gesturing to him and his team.

"You and Juniper stay here at Beacon to hold down the fort." Ruby said. "Trust me; my team and Lunatic will be more than enough. Any more additions will just be too much."

"Not to mention we don't want to give ourselves away to the White Fang." Weiss added. "This way, they will be none the wiser!"

"Don't you mean none the Weiss-er?" Yang declared jokingly, making their table groan at her terrible pun.

"Then it's decided." Loki nodded. "Well, let's prepare for tomorrow, hope for the best," He then sighed. "And hope this doesn't bite us in the ass."

* * *

After their day of classes, the teams went their separate ways for the day, as LNTC retired to their dorm to prepare for the next day, each boy sat on their own bed.

"Another day, another dull lesson from Port." Turoc let out a tired sigh. "If only Simon and Barter could see me now!"

"Hey, I heard this from one of the guys in Cardinal." Cenric spoke up. "I heard that there have been strange murders going around lately."

Over the course of their stay, after their survival exercise, the boys of LNTC had become well acquainted with several other teams at Beacon, especially CFVY, with Cenric forming a friendly rivalry with Yatsuhashi. They even got on good terms with Team CRDL, as Cenric and Cardin recently got on good talking terms, with Cardin wanting to settle things with the Spartan Boy, the latter saying that he was 'free to try', though they do train together on some days now, their rivalry becoming a more friendly one, much to Pyrrha's relief.

"Murders?" Nirnasha repeated, curious.

"They say that Veteran Huntsmen have been going missing on foggy nights." Cenric explained. "And when the fog lifts, a dead body is found hanging from a telephone pole."

"And how have Cardinal heard about this?" Loki asked, skeptical.

"They were the ones who saw the body this morning." Cenric shrugged. "They were headed out for a morning routine when Russel saw it, hanging from an antenna."

"Now that you mention it, my boys mentioned something similar." Turoc chimed in. "Over in Atlas, there's been a string of murders during foggy nights of Huntsmen and citizens for several months. Some had span over several years back. But this one doesn't seem related, since the body was cut up into several pieces."

"And the Huntsmen nor the police have been able to solve them?" Nirnasha asked, a bit surprised. "This must be quite the elusive assailant."

"Well, all the doom and gloom stuff to the side for now," Loki interjected, hoping to change the subject. "What about this one teacher? This 'Lord Jackass'?"

"Yeah, a teacher named Jack Lorde." Nirnasha nodded. "Apparently, the guy is very unpopular with the students, always making assumptions and yelling from his soapbox."

"The bastard stopped me earlier after lunch." Cenric growled. "He pissed me off so bad, I was about to lose it. Kept going on and on about how I was in Sanctum, when he doesn't know shit about that! Even said how he'd have me expelled if I cause trouble. That shit ain't funny, man."

"Yeah, the guy seems to have set a speed record for jumping to conclusions." Turoc nodded.

"And get this; I heard this from another guy in class." Cenric went on. "They said that Lorde guy was talking trash about some of the people that died!"

"Lord Jackass was talking about them?" Loki jumped in.

Cenric nodded, "It was like 'It's no surprise that people who are unfaithful or shirk their duty meet a bad end'." He then shook his head. "I dunno, maybe he was exaggerating. Everyone seems to hate that Lord Jackass guy."

"Damn, I can just picture him saying that." Loki said with a frown. "He'd never shut up about me either. Not that I remember anything he said…or cared."

While the conversation went on, Loki reached to one of the draws of one of the desks, pulling out what looked like a small box, popping it open and proceeded to eat what looked like animal-shaped crackers.

"Even if it's a little true, it still pisses me off." Cenric went on with an angered tone. "Damn bastard's a teacher for Monty's sake."

"Ah, don't waste your energy getting angry at that clown." Loki said between munches. "Besides, we've got more important things to worry about."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Cenric sighed, then noticed what Loki was munching. "Wait a minute, what're you eating?!"

"Animal crackers." Loki answered, a bit hesitant.

"Wha-Those're mine!" Cenric gasped, before cursing. "Dammit, I was so hyped about finding the penguin today."

"Penguin?" Loki gave a quizzical look.

"The secret animal cracker!" Cenric responded harshly. "You were eating them and you didn't know that?!"

"Well, you should've said something!" Loki defended.

Cenric wanted to argue, but let out a tired sigh instead.

"Well, time to head for bed!" Loki declared, closing the box of crackers and sliding them back onto Cenric's desk. "We've got a big day tomorrow and it's best we head to bed early!"

"That's all you have to say for yourself after taking my snacks?" Cenric deadpanned.

* * *

Day turned to night; the students were mostly vast asleep. The boys of LNTC were sound asleep, except for the L, who struggled to keep his eyes closed long enough to fall asleep. With a groan, he got up and went to the bathroom, splashed some cool water on his face and let out a soft sigh, as he entered back into the room, seeing his teammates sleeping. Seeing his teammate's sleep gave Loki a sense of pride; they felt like his own family.

Looking up, however, he took notice of a red eyed black raven, perched on a tree branch outside, looking dead at him. The two locked eyes for a solid minute, before the raven flew away. Before Loki could question it further, he felt his scroll vibrate. Pulling it open, he saw a new message from an unidentified messenger.

"Courtyard. We need to talk."

Letting out a small sigh, knowing who the text is from, Loki got dressed, grabbed his pistols for safety's sake, and made his way outside. Exiting the school to the courtyard, Loki looked around several times, looking to spot anything out of the ordinary, then spotted the raven in question, as it let out a screech, before flying behind the statue out of sight. Then, out from behind the statue walked what looked like an older woman, her outfit consisted of a shallow cut black and red dress with black shorts underneath, with series of beaded necklaces and a belt that wraps around her waist and carries her weapon's sheath. Attached also is a long black object that is either fur or feathers, with a red and white bandana material like hanging from behind her. Her forearms bear red armored gauntlets that protrude outwards and solid black gloves. She wore black mid-thigh high leggings with red splatter patterns and black heels. Lastly, she wore a full face mask the resembled the face of a creature of Grimm with four eye slits. She also had a long, single-edged, one-handed sword, an odachi by design, with a trigger built into the hilt and cross-guard rather than the traditional tsuba. The scabbard contains a rotary chamber filled with various types of Dust blades.

Loki tensed a little bit at the woman's very presence. She had a sense of dominance about her, a sense of power. Despite how intimidating she seemed, Loki's hands hovered over his holsters, ready to make a quick draw in defense.

"No need to be so tense, Loki." The woman said in an assured tone. "We're both friends here."

Reaching her hand up, the woman removed the mask, and under it, she looks very similar to Yang; they share the same facial shape. However, the woman's hair is jet black, her eyebrows are a little bit higher, her complexion is significantly lighter and slight age lines are under her eyes. Her hair is tied by a red bandanna and loosely done up in a ponytail with the ends resembling curved black feathers. A cowlick can be seen protruding from the top of her head, similar to that of Yang's.

"It's been a while, Loki." She said with a smile.

"Not quite long enough…Raven." Loki replied with venom in his voice.

"Why so hostile?" Raven frowned. "Aren't you at least somewhat relieved to see me again?"

"I know why you're here, Raven." Loki hissed. "And I'm already telling you to stick it up your ass!"

Raven gave a harsh stare before sighing.

"Even after all I've done for you; you still act like an ungrateful brat." She said with a snarl. "Do you remember that day, Loki? I saved your life!"

"You 'saved' me so you could use me!" Loki retorted. "You only kept me around for your damned raids and hold that day over my head every time I dared to question your ways!"

"Is that what you really think?" Raven said in a quizzical tone. "That I see you as a tool? How foolish can you be?"

"I was foolish for trusting you." Loki spat. "You assured me that I was safe around you, that I was a part of the tribe, as family. But all I felt like was another tool in your arsenal to use against others." He gave her a deathly stare. "You never gave a damn about me! You only cared about how useful I was in your raids! You act like nothing I say matter every time we're knee deep in bodies!"

"I never meant for you to feel that way." Raven said with a sad frown. "But I did what was necessary to ensure our tribes survival."

"At the cost of innocent settlements that can't defend themselves?" Loki scoffed. "I'm not sure if you remember, but the last settlement you had us raid woke me up. I saw a teddy bear outside a burned down house, and a young boy crying over the body of his dad. That moment triggered my PTSD, reminding me of the day I lost my own father. I suffered a mental breakdown because it made me realize the monster I was becoming."

"That's just how things are." Raven defended. "The strong survive and the weak-"

"STOP WITH THAT BULLSHIT!" Loki practically screamed angrily, much to Raven's shock. "Stop trying to justify yourself with that lame ass excuse!"

Raven looked back at her former student with eyes of surprise. Never before had Loki taken this kind of tone, even when he was ever angry.

"I'm sick of you using that same old excuse." Loki seethed. "Have you ever once wondered why I left in the first place?!" He clenched his fists. "I'll tell you why; it's because of your damn hypocrisy. You act all big and bad, but in reality, you're pathetic."

"Tread carefully, boy." Raven narrowed her eyes. "You're already on thin ice."

"Why? Because you can't stand the truth?" Loki smirked. "Because deep down, you know that I'm right but you don't want to admit it?" He then scoffed. "You act all tough, thinking you're the baddest bitch around, but when it comes down to it, you're just a scared puppy burying its head in the sand in hopes that the bigger baddies don't find them."

If Raven wasn't angry before, she certainly was now; a vein was showing on her neck, her eyes narrowed deeply, her fists clenched so hard that she could make her palms bleed. Loki always did have a knack for getting under people's skin and making them angry. It only came down to knowing which buttons to push.

Despite the trickster's attempts to antagonize her, Raven closed her eyes and took several deep breathes to calm down, before opening her eyes again, a calm expression on her face.

"You shouldn't be so quick to turn me away, Loki." Raven said in a calm tone. "Despite what you think, I did in fact value you as a person and I always protected you from the others. Do you remember when I first brought you in?" She then frowned. "All those boys wanted to eat you alive. They wanted to burn you up and have your head on a platter. I saved you from a fate worse than death!" She then smiled. "But despite all of that, eventually, you earned their respect, you became close to Vernal, even good friends with Shay, and you became my left-hand enforcer. Doesn't life with me seem better than fighting for a lost cause?"

"After all the lies you tried to put in my head, what the hell do you know about what I fight for?" Loki demanded.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." She said in a warning tone. "Your joining up with Ozpin is a mistake. He's setting you up to fail, just like he did for many others before you. Just like he did my brother, and just like how he almost did me."

"What would you rather have me do?" Loki snarled. "Just sit by and do nothing, while forces greater than the White Fang burn all of Remnant to the ground? Is that what you're saying?!"

"Better to stay out of Ozpin's war than set yourself to be killed against an enemy that can't die!" Raven snapped, before her eyes widened at what she had just said.

"What the hell does that mean?" Loki asked, curious.

Raven opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She wanted so badly to tell him all about the war, what kind of enemies Loki would truly be facing. But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Well?" Loki said, expecting her to answer. "I'm waiting. What sort of big bad out there are you so scared of that it made you want to run away? Huh?"

"I…" Raven hesitated, unable to bring herself to tell him of the horrors behind the Grimm. "I…I can't tell you because you wouldn't understand."

"That's your excuse?" Loki said with a scoff. "Typical. You act like Ozpin is the problem and demonize him every chance you get, but you refuse to tell me why." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Your own daughter is willing to fight, and yet you're more concerned over me. Why is that?"

"Because I promised Odin!" Raven finally snapped. "I promised him, the day before he was killed, that I would protect you! How can I do that if you march off to your death?!"

Loki remained silent.

"Odin was one of the few people I ever showed respect and care for, right next to Summer." Raven went on, as she approached Loki. "He was strong, wise, and was always a good friend. I swore that I would look after you, that I would protect you, and I don't want you to suffer the same fate." She placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. "Please, come back to the tribe. Come back to your family. We-"

Suddenly, she was met with a punch to the face that sent her flat on her butt, as she looked up at Loki in shock, his face twisted with anger.

"What…a load…of BULL SHIT!" He spat. "As if demonizing Ozpin wasn't bad enough, you try to hold my father's death over me! Is there no level you won't sink to in order to guilt-trip me?!"

Raven simply looked back in shock, her hand over the cheek that Loki had slammed his fist against, then her face slowly twisted with rage.

"How…dare…you…" She slowly seethed with anger as she got back up.

"How dare I what?" Loki said. "How dare I question you? Criticize you? Because you hate that it's true?" He then shook his head. "Summer Rose would be ashamed of the coward you've become!"

"What the hell would you know?!" Raven demanded. "You've never even met her!"

"Maybe not, but I know for a fact that she'd be ashamed of you for your betrayal!" Loki shot back.

"That tears it!" Raven yelled. "You crossed the line!"

And with great speed, she sped forth and struck him in the face with a closed fist. But as she calmed down, her raging expression turned to regret, as Loki simply looked back at her, not even flinching from the hit, his face riddled with disappointment.

"Loki…" Raven said regretfully. "Loki, I…"

"Is this what it's come to, Raven?" Loki asked solemnly, rubbing the spot that was struck. "Attacking me for speaking my mind?" He turned away from her. "You're right; I never knew Summer. But from what you and Qrow told me, she was the sort to fight for what's right. I'd bet she would fight and defend her home with everything she had. How can you call yourself her teammate, let alone her friend, if you're too afraid to do the same?"

Silence hung over them, as Loki simply walked back to the door, then stopped.

"Oh, and by the way," He spoke up, turning back to her. "I decided to not tell Yang about you. I had once considered telling her about you because she had worked so hard trying to find the woman she was birthed from, the mother that had abandoned her." He then shook his head. "But after what Qrow told me and after what I've seen of you? I've officially decided to keep that from her. Because I don't want to see anything of you in her. And as much as she and I bicker, I don't want her to end up like you."

And with that, Loki walked back into the building, leaving Raven with a heavy heart and her head hung low, as she simply turned and pulled out her sword and swung it, the sword opening up a portal back to the tribe. Looking back towards the door, she let out a sad sigh.

"I'm sorry for failing you." She said silently, as she walked through the portal, leaving Beacon grounds.

* * *

Loki walked through the halls, heading back to his dorm, breathing heavily and his face still riddled with anger, but as he got closer to his team's dorm, his anger cooled down into sadness, as he stopped in his tracks. He couldn't help but think back on the times he spent with Raven and the rest of the tribe; going fishing with Raven, going on walks with Vernal, and even having a few rounds at the shooting range with Shay. Despite what he said, he couldn't deny that he missed the tribe to some degree.

But he made his choice to become a Huntsman, his choice to be reunited with Ruby and Yang and he wasn't going to throw that away now.

"Welcome back."

Snapping out of his thoughts with a silent gasp, he looked up to see Cenric standing beside the door to their dorm room, a frown on his face.

"How much did you get?" Loki asked.

"More than enough." Cenric shrugged. "I noticed you leave, as though you were expecting trouble, and I got curious, so I watched." He looked to the side. "Although, I wasn't expecting the leader of the Branwen Tribe to be the one who took you in."

"And what do you think?" Loki asked, as though fearing his friend's response.

Cenric knew of the Branwen Tribe; a fearsome bandit tribe causing havoc in Mistral. One of the reasons Cenric wanted to become a Huntsman, other than to prove that he's the strongest in the Nikos Family, but also to clean the world of all the scum in the world; including the bandits that plague Mistral.

But after hearing that Loki, his leader, and friend, was actually part of the same tribe that pillaged the settlements of innocent people, and leaving those innocents to die at the hands of the Grimm, he wasn't too sure.

After some thought, Cenric looked Loki in the eyes and spoke.

"Do you regret it?"

Knowing what Cenric meant, Loki sighed.

"Of course I do." He nodded. "It's why I left in the first place. It's also why I accepted Sting's offer to come to Beacon and become a Huntsman; to better myself." He then kinda blushed a bit. "That and I also want to be close to Ruby again."

Thinking for a moment, Cenric wondered if Loki's relationship with Ruby goes further than simply friendship?

Regardless, Cenric pushed it to the side for now and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"As long as you put forth the effort to be better, Loki, I'm okay with having you around." He said with a smile. "And never stop being a trickster; it always help brighten a dark day."

"Now why would I change that?" Loki asked with a smirk. "If I did that, I wouldn't be called the Mischief Huntsman!"

"…Nobody has ever called you that." Cenric said bluntly.

After a bit more friendly banter, the duo went back into their dorm to rest for the next day.

* * *

Meanwhile, over in the training room of the school, Marcus Azul was practicing his fighting technique against several training dummies. With his team in bed and after getting permission from Goodwitch, Marcus decided to get some practice in for the Vytal Tournament.

After destroying several more dummies, Marcus deactivated the training and turned off the shields, then headed for the locker rooms. After quickly changing into his uniform, he took a moment to gaze at his sword before sheathing it and putting it away in his locker. Closing his locker, he left the combat room and out into the hallway, when suddenly…

"Yo."

Stopping in his tracks, Marcus turned his head, his eyes under the mask locked with Mercury Black, leaning against the wall.

"It's not every day that someone piques my interest." He declared. "Especially someone who happens to have the same name as my dad."

Marcus said nothing, only stood in silence, as Mercury pushed himself off the wall and approach.

"Now, I'm gonna ask you certain questions." He said in a more serious tone as he stood before the masked boy. "And I expect you to answer honestly, got it?"

Marcus still said nothing.

"So, first question," Mercury went on. "Why _do_ you have the same name as my dad?"

Marcus remained silent.

"No comment?" Mercury raised a brow. "Fine. What about that sword? It's obvious that weapons like that only come from one place, so how did you get a hold on a weapon like that?"

Marcus refused to answer, only looked away.

"Seriously?" Mercury frowned, his patience waning. "You're starting to try my patience."

Marcus still refused to answer, only to turn and walk away, but Mercury was far from done, as he rounded the masked boy.

"Hey, I didn't say we were done!" Mercury growled as he pushed Marcus against the wall. "I demand you give me an answer!"

They stayed like that for a moment, staring each other down, when suddenly…

"What's going on here?!"

They turned their heads to see Miss Goodwitch approach, riding crop in hand.

"Nothin', Miss Goorwitch." Mercury said innocently, immediately backing off. "Just trying to get to know some of the students is all."

Goodwitch looked to Marcus, who said nothing, then sighed.

"Mister Black, I would appreciate if you didn't harass my students." She stated. "If they do not wish to divulge information, then that is their right." She then turned to Marcus. "And Marcus? If you're finished with your training sessions, then I suggest you hurry to your dorm at once."

With a nod, Marcus turned to leave, but stopped.

"My mother."

Mercury looked up at him, as the masked boy went on.

"My mother was one of the finest weaponsmiths in all of Mistral." Marcus declared. "Give her any kind of metal and she could craft it into the best kind of weapon you could ever lay your eyes on. That sword was her parting gift to me before she passed away."

There was silence, before Marcus spoke again.

"And in case you're wondering, her name was Olivia." Marcus said. "Olivia Azul."

And with that, Marcus simply walked away, leaving Mercury with his thoughts.

'Olivia…' He thought to himself. 'My mother's name was Olivia…and her maiden name was Azul." His eyes widened a bit at a thought. 'Could that kid be related to me in some way?!'

Regardless, he decided to return to his teams dorm, to avoid risking Goddwitches wrath.

* * *

 **And there's the newest chapter! Once again, I apologize for these coming out so late, I've been so busy with real-life stuff, and it's becoming harder to write stuff down. But don't worry; I'm still gonna keep writing, just at a slow pace.**

 **Anyways, we see our heroes getting their game plan together, while there's a string of murders going around, and Loki as a not so friendly reunion with Raven. As you can tell, some of the fan fiction writers I read have their different interpretations of Raven; Cosmic Fiction gives her some redeemable qualities, while also giving her a slight rewrite, while moguera is unsympathetic when writing her. I decided to go with both; unsympathizing with her, while also giving her some redeeming qualities, while also giving her a bit of a rewrite of my own. Anyways, I hope you guys are looking forward to more!**

 **The next thing I'm looking forward to progressing the story between Mercury Black and Marcus Azul. I kinda planted the seed for something to happen between these two and I hope you guys look forward to that as well!**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys look forward to more! Be sure to review!**


	12. The Investigation Begins

Team LNTC

Chapter Twelve: Volume Two

The Investigation Begins

The next day came and the last class for the day was an utter bore fest. Professor Port just went on and on about stories from his youth, trying his best to keep the class' attention, only for half the class to dose off from boredom. Cenric tried his best to stay awake, but he kept finding himself nodding off. Nirnasha was wearing shades so that Port doesn't notice he was sleeping. Turoc was trying to pass the time by writing several rough drafts for stories. Loki was making more funny drawings of Port talking too much and sliding them over to Ruby, making her giggle a bit.

Looking over, Loki took notice of Jaune attempting to ask Weiss out, all the while Weiss was ignoring him.

"Jaune has no idea." Loki whispered to Ruby, shaking his head. "She's waaay out of his league."

"Yeah, I agree." Ruby agreed silently. "As much as I'd hate to put a damper on his spirits, he should really just give up."

The boring class soon came to an end as the clock struck four, signaling the end of class. As Loki gathered his things, he saw Weiss leave, as Jaune hung his head in disappointment. Feeling a bit sorry for the Arc Knight, Loki walked up beside his and leaned down a bit.

"She's out of your league, my dude; just give up." Loki advised. "Trust me; I heard she's quite snobbish, and looks down on people like you and me. And I mean that quite literally, like down the nose."

Loki then demonstrated by tilting his head back while looking down his nose, scrunching his nose up a bit, while his eyes were bulging out in a goofy manner, making Jaune laugh a bit a bit.

"But seriously, she ain't worth your time." Loki went on, his face and manner went back to being serious, before he smirked. "But I know someone who's right up your alley!"

He then pointed a thumb behind him, Jaune looking over to see Pyrrha, packing her school books.

"You're serious?" Jaune looked at the trickster with a quizzical look. "Isn't Pyrrha a famous celebrity in Mistral?"

"Better her than a literal snow white queen." Loki rolled his eyes, maintaining his smirk, "Plus, she's awesome once you get to know the real Pyrrha deep down!" He then leaned in and whispered into the knight's ear. "And besides that, I heard Pyrrha's got the hots for you!"

Jaune seemed taken aback by this. Does Pyrrha really have a thing for him, despite his poor experience?

"You'll thank me later!" Loki gave a friendly wink, before dashing off after Nirnasha and Turoc.

Giving the idea some thought, Jaune shrugged before gathering his things and rising from his seat, only to almost jump when Cenric seemed to appear in front of him, a serious look on his face.

"Approach my sister the way you approached Weiss," Cenric said in a warning tone, before pointing below Jaune's belt. "And you'll get worse than broken kneecaps."

With the soldier's departure after Loki, Jaune let out a breath of relief, as Pyrrha approached.

"You know, your bro can be scary sometimes." He remarked.

"Don't worry about him." Pyrrha waved it off. "That's just his brotherly instincts kicking in. You have nothing to worry about."

"I hope not." Jaune grumbled, as he followed his team out the classroom, Jaune thinking about the trickster's words.

* * *

In the locker room, the boys of LNTC were changing into their outing outfits and preparing their weapons.

"So, everyone ready to head out?" Loki asked with a grin, holstering his katana-pistols.

"Definitely." Turoc smirked as he collapsed his crossbow. "Angelina's cocked up and ready to roll!"

"I am prepared as well." Nirnasha nodded as he hooked his scepter on the belt around his hip.

"Same here." Cenric chimed in, placing his shield on his back and his hammer at his side. "I'm prepared for any potential danger."

"Alright then, let's go meet up with Ruby's team!" Loki declared.

The boys left the locker room and exited into the hall, before running into Patrick and Winter.

"Hey, boys!" Patrick greeted, before taking note of the way the boys were dressed. "Hey, what's with the outfits and weapons? You expecting trouble?"

"Yeah, something like that." Loki half lied. "We're heading out to the city with Ruby's team and we wanted to be on the safety side."

"I guess that makes sense, with all that's been goin' on." Patrick agreed. "Just make sure you don't make a habit of it. There's a fine line between being safe and too safe."

"Which can easily be translated to paranoia." Winter added. "Never live your life in fear."

"Don't worry; we won't make a habit of it." Loki assured.

With that, Patrick and Winter left, allowing the boys to continue on, only to run into the wolf-Faunus, carrying what looked like two cups of coffee.

"Whoa… pardon me." He said with surprise, before getting a good look at the boys. "Hey, you guys are Team Lunatic, right? Patrick talks a lot about you!"

"And you are…?" Nirnasha said curiously.

"Oh! My bad; I haven't even introduced myself!" The wolf-Faunus laughed nervously. "I'm Desmond Wolfe; Patrick's partner. I mostly do busy work for him, but I do help him out when he asks for it!"

The boys looked to each, then nodded, before Loki stepped forward.

"Excuse me, but can we ask you something?" Loki asked, gaining the wolf-Faunus' attention. "It's about the White Fang; is it true that they're pulling more strange stunts?"

"Oh, ummm… Am I allowed to say…?" Desmond wondered, as if conflicted. "Well, you guys are Huntsmen. I mean, in-training, but Huntsmen nonetheless, so keep this between us, alright?"

The boys nodded, as the wolf-Faunus went on.

"One of the local Dust stores was robbed one morning." Desmond explained. "They said the White Fang were responsible for the robbery. Problem is that that store has always been welcoming for the Faunus."

"Seriously?" Turoc raised a brow. "What do these guys have to gain from doing that? Don't they know that it's only damaging their reputation?"

"My guess is that they're trying to send some sort of message." Desmond theorized. "Probably trying to say that even the shops that accept Faunus aren't safe."

"That makes no sense." Nirnasha said bluntly. "There's no way the White Fang would attack a Faunus friendly shop unprovoked."

"Maybe something's changed." Desmond shrugged. "There have been some theories about how the White Fang's been having a mysterious benefactor or something. How else would they get these high end weaponry and stuff?"

The boys looked to each other, considering what was said.

"But that's all just theories and speculations." Desmond assured, laughing nervously. "Besides, the professionals have it all under control!" His eyes suddenly went wide. "Crap, I think I went too far. Forget this ever happened, okay?"

"Desmond, what the hell are you chatting with students for?!" Patrick called in an angry tone. "And where's our coffee?!"

"S-Sorry! I got it right here!" Desmond called, before looking to the boys. "Psst! Forget I said anything! Please!"

Hurriedly, the wolf-Faunus went after his superiors, allowing LNTC to resume their way to Team RWBY's dorm. Loki knocked once.

"Come in!"

Opening the door, the boys entered, seeing the girls dressed, though their outfits were different; Yang's outfit consists of a deep-collared cream vest worn over a low cut black shirt; both are covered by a dark gray shrug with a raised collar, three-quarter sleeves adorned with a single black stripe down the outside of each sleeve, and gold cuffs. A black miniskirt is worn under the cream vest.

A pair of crooked black belts with gold accents are slung around her hip, with a purple piece of fabric attached to the left-rear section of the lower belt. She wears thigh high stockings attached to her miniskirt by garter-belts on the front and back of each thigh, decorated with four golden studs above her knee and her emblem on the outside of each thigh in gold. She also wears black ankle boots with multiple buckles and white ribbons on the back tied in a bow. Around her neck is a purple pendant set in silver.

Blake's outfit consisted of a white, v-neck, zip-up crop shirt with a black hem and three-quarter sleeves. Her emblem was printed in off-white on the left side of the shirt, and she wore black pants that have a vertical gray stripe on the outer side of each leg and a black belt. Attached to the rear of the belt is a black piece of fabric that covers her from hip to hip. Underneath this is a longer, translucent, purple piece of fabric. She also wears black high-heel boots with two straps and buckles and purple underoles, reaching to mid-calf. She retains the black ribbons on her forearms and her black bow.

Weiss' outfit consisted of a white, double-breasted jacket with black pipping, cuffs, and buttons over a white, pleated full skirt with black lace trim. She also wore a pair of white, thigh-high boots with black heels and lace-toped black stockings.

Ruby's outfit consisted of a long-sleeve, light gray shirt with black belted cuffs near the ends of the sleeves. Over the top of the gray shirt is a black pinafore with two vertical lines of red stitching that resembles the lacing on a corset. She also wore a red skirt with a large black print of her emblem on the side and matching black tulle underneath. Her stockings and shoes remain the same as her original outfit, thought the boots lack the red trim that decorated the top. A few pieces of metal arranged in an abstract shape are attached to the shoulder of her left sleeve, and her cloak's hood has been wrapped around her neck in a scarf-like fashion, while the rest hung down like normal.

"What's with the change in outfit, girls?" Loki inquired. "You trying to change up your wardrobe?"

"Don't start, Loki." Yang scoffed. "This is always the outfit I wear when I'm riding my motorcycle." She then looked to Cenric with a smirk. "What do you think, Cenric?"

Cenric remained silent, stone-faced as usual, then raised a brow.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" He asked casually.

"What, you don't like it?" Yang frowned.

"Nothing wrong with it, I just prefer your other outfit better." Cenric shrugged. "It shows that you're not afraid to show off."

"Oh really?" Yang smirked again.

"I only thought it would be wise to disguise ourselves so the White Fang won't recognize us." Blake insisted.

"Well, don't push your luck." Loki said, pushing Yang gently to the side. "Now, does everyone remember the plan?"

"We split up to different parts of the city in groups of two." Ruby nodded with a small hop. "We begin our investigation!"

"I'm glad that we're taking this so seriously." Weiss said with a roll of her eyes.

"We've got a plan!" Yang defended. "That's…mostly serious."

"Exactly." Loki nodded. "So, everyone remember their roles?"

"Turoc and I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies or other inconsistencies." Weiss declared, a hand on the handle of her weapon, Myrtenaster. "Seeing as how I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem."

"And I'll see if my contacts can provide any additional information." Turoc chimed in.

"The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members." Blake joined in, hands behind her back. "If Nirnasha and I can get in, without running into trouble, we might be able to find out what their planning." She then glanced at the necromancer. "I'm still worried about sneaking him in."

"You have nothing to fear, Miss Belladonna." Nirnasha assured. "I came prepared."

Yang snickered a bit, making Nirnasha send a glare at the blonde.

"I know an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale." Yang declared, crossing her arms. "Getting information out of him won't be a problem."

"As long as you know when to hold back." Cenric said, stepping forward. "Which is why I'm paired with you to ensure that you don't go overboard."

"Killjoy." Yang scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

"And Loki and I will scout out the shopping district." Ruby declared. "With luck, there might be some secret meetings between members."

"Alright, after we get the info, we'll meet up near the club to go over what we've found." Loki declared. "Now, know your roles and shut your mouths!"

Everyone was silent for a bit, giving Loki awkward looks, before Loki started laughing.

"I always wanted to say that!" He admitted.

"I'm pretty sure that's not how the Boulder says it." Cenric spoke up. "He says it with more 'oomph' in his voice and in a yelling tone."

"But I'm not trying to yell." Loki frowned.

"I think it works both ways!" A familiar masculine voice said.

"Thanks, Sun." Loki said.

But then they all froze, then turned to see none other than Sun Wukong, hanging upside-down by his tail from what looked like a tree limb, cross-legged and grinning cheerfully at them.

"Sun?!" Blake gasped, surprised.

"How'd you get up there?" Yang asked.

"Ah, it's easy." Sun shrugged. "I do it all the time."

"You do what?!" Weiss demanded with a gasp.

"I climb trees all the time." Sun elaborated, completely unaware of the narrowed eyes of the heiress from his previous statement, before jumping inside. "So, are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"

"Tor-who?" Loki said with a quizzical look.

"Sun, we'd rather not get our friends involved." Ruby said apologetically.

"And why would you want to get involved anyways?" Cenric asked in a demanding tone.

"Look, I was there at the docks, okay?" Sun explained. "I want to put a stop to these guys as much as you do." He then smirked. "And besides, it's not just me; I even brought Neptune!"

He pointed a thumb over to the window, prompting the others to poke their heads out to see Neptune standing nervously on the ledge.

"Sup." He greeted, trying his best to keep his composure. "Can I come in? Seriously, we're like really high up right now."

After helping the blue haired boy inside, the group went over the plan once more.

"So now we have a total of ten people to work with." Ruby declared. "Sun, you can go with Blake and Nirnasha. And Neptune can go with Weiss and Turoc."

"Alright, everything set?" Loki asked, before looking around and poking his head out the door and window to make sure no one else was listening, before returning to the group. "Alright, let's move out!"

As the group started to leave, Loki was the last one to leave, as he looked out the window, as if expecting Raven to be watching him, only to see nothing.

'I do miss the times we shared, Raven,' He thought with a frown. 'But I can't sit by while people suffer. You made your choice to stand by, and I made mine to act.'

He then left the room, hurrying to catch up with his friends.

* * *

After departing the school and splitting up, the pairs went off in separate directions, Turoc walked with Weiss and Neptune down the walkway to the Cross Continental Transmit System Tower, the tower itself close to the base of Beacon Tower.

"The CCTS Tower, Atlas' pride and joy," Turoc remarked.

"And something my father's company had put a great deal of investment into its construction," Weiss added. "Not to mention the company has a permanent presence on one of its floors." Weiss looked over at Neptune. Although I'm not sure why you wanted to come here when I could have done this on my scroll."

"Well, first off, I always wanted to see it." Neptune defended. "And two, even with your heiress status, there's probably some top secret stuff they'd keep, even from you, so I figured having a skilled hacker like myself to find those secrets."

"As long as you don't get caught." Weiss scowled. "If I were to be caught hacking their systems by proxy, getting disowned will be the least my father would do."

"Don't worry, Snow Angel, I know a few tricks!" Neptune said with a smirk. "Well, shall we head in?"

"You two go on ahead," Turoc suggested. "I need to get a hold of my contacts alone."

"Contacts?" Neptune repeated with a raised brow. "You some kinda crime boss?"

"More like an information broker." Turoc explained. "I manage a spy ring to gather information." He then waved his hand at them. "Now go on! Get what we need while adults talk!"

After Weiss and Neptune went off to enter the building, Turoc pulled out his own scroll to dial up his contacts, when a taller human bumped into him, making Turoc drop his scroll.

"Watch where you're going, you filthy animal!" The man spat before walking off.

"You're the one who needs to watch it." Turoc mumbled, straightening his jacket. "Now, where did my scroll go?"

"You dropped this."

Looking up, Turoc seemed surprised to see none other than Penny Polendina standing before him, his scroll in her hand.

"Penny?" Turoc said with surprise in his voice before smiling a bit. "Where've you been? It's been a while!"

Recognizing the two-tailed Faunus, Penny gasped with a smile.

"Oh my goodness!" She said with plenty of enthusiasm. "Turoc, it's really you!"

She then picked him up into a bone crushing hug, a hug that Turoc didn't seem to mind this time around.

"N-Nice to see you too." He said in between grunts. "C-Can you let go now?"

"Oh, my apologies!" Penny gasped, releasing him, allowing Turoc to take in some air.

"Penny, I haven't seen you since we met back in High Road." Turoc remarked. "Where have you been?"

"I'm sorry, Turoc." Penny frowned. "But The General has been keeping me on a rather short leash lately."

"Why's that?" Turoc asked. "Did something happen?"

Penny seemed unsure, as she looked around to see if anyone was watching, then looked back to Turoc.

"Walk with me." She gestured. "I don't feel comfortable talking out in the open."

Nodding, Turoc followed the ginger girl down an alley where no one could eavesdrop on them.

"So, what's the problem?" Turoc asked politely. "I haven't heard from you for several months."

"I had to return to Atlas." Penny explained. "My father asked me to not venture far," She then quickly said, "But you must understand that he cares about me very much! He just worries a lot."

"I understand what you mean." Turoc nodded. "Still, I wouldn't mind being there to help you out."

"And I would appreciate that," Penny admitted with a frown. "But I…was asked to not speak with you. Or Ruby. Or Weiss. Or Blake. Or Yang. Or with either of your teams. Anybody really."

"Why?" Turoc raised a brow. "And who told you to isolate yourself?"

Before she could answer, the pair took notice of a demonstration of a hologram General Ironwood, giving a presentation of replacing the old Atlesian Knight-130 with the new, unveiled 200 model, before unveiling a hologram of an Atlesian Paladin-290 battle suit.

"Damn, Ruby would be drooling over this!" Turoc smirked at the sight.

"Um…Turoc?" Penny tapped his shoulder. "Maybe we should go somewhere else…"

Before Turoc could answer, they noticed a pair of Atlesian soldiers that seemed to take notice of them, specifically Penny.

"We should get going!" Turoc said, before turning to see Penny already running down an alley. "Hey, wait for me!"

Taking off after Penny, Turoc looked back to see the soldiers give chase. Running down alleys, going around corners and running across the streets, Turoc finally caught up with Penny using his tails, before floating up and wrapping his arms around Penny's waist.

"Hang on!"

He started to fly upward but didn't take into account on Penny's weight. Usually, he could carry almost anybody with ease, so long as they didn't weigh more than he could carry, but for some reason, despite her size AND not carrying literally anything that could count as extra weight, he still seemed to struggle to lift Penny off the ground. Eventually, he did get her up in the air, but he was straining to keep afloat. After getting high up enough, he sat Penny down on the roof of one of the buildings, evading the soldiers, but Turoc collapsed to his knees and started breathing heavily.

"Turoc, are you okay?!" Penny asked in a worried tone.

"I'm *Huff puff* good." Turoc said in between heaves of breath. "Penny, what *Huff puff* was that about?"

"I…" Penny seemed conflicted. "I…don't want to talk about it." She hiccupped after saying that. "E-Everything is fine!" She hiccupped again.

Turoc had a confused look on his face, as several things went through his mind; Penny's hiccups whenever she gives some form of excuse, her unnatural weight and strength, and the fact that those Atlesian soldiers were chasing her, even though there shouldn't be any reason to. After collecting his breath, Turoc walked up to Penny and took hold of her hands.

"Look, Penny," He said in a calm tone. "I need to know what's going on, to understand. To do that, I need you to trust me with whatever is wrong." He looked up into her eyes. "Trust me; I'll listen."

Penny still seemed unsure.

"You'll still be my friend, right?" Penny asked. "No matter what, we can still be friends?"

"Of course." Turoc nodded. "I promise."

Her worries put to the side, Penny sighed.

"Turoc," She began to say. "I'm…not a real girl."

Seeing that the two-tailed fox-Faunus was confused by this, Penny pinched a bit of her skin and from what Turoc was seeing, she proceeded to peel it back. Instead of seeing blood spurt out, like he was expecting, he saw what looked like some sort of metal underneath her skin.

"Oh." Turoc softly said in blank shock. "…well, shit."

* * *

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this!" Cenric yelled over the sound of the engine of Yang's motorcycle.

"Please!" Yang scoffed as Cenric's complaint. "You're just bein' a wimp! And here I thought you were a bonnafide badass!"

"Being a badass doesn't include being a brainless fool!" Cenric countered. "That and driving like an absolute madman!"

Rolling her eyes, Yang simply rode onward, speeding through traffic like crazy, while liking how Cenric was tightening his arms around her midsection, hanging on for dear life as if he were about to fall off. Speeding down the street and dodging traffic like they were simply stationary obstacles, they eventually came to a stop in front of a building under the highway overpass.

Getting off the bike, Cenirc looked at the building, seeing the sign for some kind of club.

"Why are we here?" He asked curiously, before looking to Yang with a raised brow. "Is your idea just an excuse to get drunk?"

"You have such little faith in me." Yang replied in mock hurt, taking her helmet off, letting her golden hair spill out. "Besides, the owner here moonlights as an information broker."

"Is that so?" Cenric mused. "Will he have information on the White Fang?"

"No, but he'll know about Torchwick." Yang shrugged. "I've seen Junior making some deal with him before."

Cenric raised a brow at the name.

"Hey, I didn't pick the name." Yang raised her hands in defense.

Putting the odd choice of a name to the side, the duo approached the club, before seeing a man in a black suit and red tinted sunglasses and a black bowler hat standing at the entrance. The club was no doubt still in the process of opening, so the man was out front to turn people away. Once he laid sights on Yang, however, his jaw before running inside like a Beowolf was chasing him.

"Should I be concerned?" Cenric asked with a worried expression.

"Ah, don't worry!" Yang smirked. "I got this handled!"

Cenric seemed unsure, but followed the blonde brawler, the two walking up to the door, which was sealed shut and they could hear squabbling from the other side. With a smirk, Yang stepped forward, her right gauntlet activating and sending an armored punch to the door, with an addition of the shot from the Dust cartridges loaded into the weapon, blowing the doors wide open. Yang simply walked in, her hips swaying provocatively, as Cenric followed behind, his head shaking.

"Hey, boys!" Yang called out with a smirk. "Guess whose back!"

Next thing they knew, there were sounds of gun clicking in the air, as nearly every thug in the building aimed their guns at her, the muzzles of their guns mere inches away from her face.

'Somehow, I'm not surprised…' Cenric said silently, as his hand reached for his hammer.

"Wait, stop, don't shoot!" Called out a tall, burly man with close-cropped black hair and a neatly-trimmed beard, dressed in a black vest and white shirt, as he pushed past his bouncers to the front, before his eyes laid on Yang. "Blondie. You're here." He spoke with recognition in his voice, before his gaze went to Cenric. "And you brought a friend." He looked back at Yang with a quizzical look. "Why?"

"You still owe me a drink." Yang said, a matter of factly. "And we also have some talking to do."

With a sigh, Junior waved off his men, before gesturing towards the bar, "Whatever, just follow me."

Shaking his head a bit, Cenric took notice of two girls by the door. They looked almost identical, both having black hair and green eyes, except they wore different colored dresses, red and white respectively.

"Hello." He gretted, trying to seem friendly. "I apologize for my friend's recklessness."

The twins (He assumed) shared a look, then nodded, before strutting off, before giving him a grin and wink.

Sighing, Cenric made to follow Yang to make sure she doesn't cause any problems.

* * *

Meanwhile, Blake with the company of Nirnasha and Sun, all three wearing cloaks, approached a warehouse in the industrial district of the city, spotting a series of claw marks that pointed the way to White Fang rallies.

"This way," Blake instructed, gesturing the two boys to follow to the entrance of the warehouse, seeing a White Fang guard handing out masks to the Faunus in line who are participating in the rally.

"Just to remind you, you don't have to go through with this." Blake told them.

"And just to remind you, Blake, you don't have to go through this on your own." Nirnasha retorted.

"I'm with Nirnasha on this." Sun chimed in. "Besides, out of the three of us, you're more than likely to be recognized."

"It's a risk I have to take." Blake frowned. "It's my responsibility to deal with the White Fang."

"Doesn't mean you have to go it alone." Sun said. "And just because you used to be a part of them doesn't mean you have to put yourself through it alone." He then smirked. "And besides, you've got friends that are willing to go through hell with you."

"Sun is correct." Nirnasha nodded. "You can always rely on us if you need help."

Blake felt glad that she has such steadfast friends willing to help. Despite her warnings of going against the White Fang being dangerous, they were more than willing to walk through hell and back for her. And she felt grateful.

"Thanks, guys." She smiled, before undoing her bow, revealing her cat ears and turning to the necromancer. "But how are we going to get you inside?"

"I have a solution already." Nirnasha grinned.

With a wave of his hand, a set of fox ears appeared on the top of his head, though they gave off a dark blue color.

"Wow, so you can use your Semblance to alter your appearance a bit." Blake remarked.

"Based on the spirits I use, yes." Nirnasha nodded.

With their disguises set, the trio managed to get the okay to enter, the guard not recognizing Blake or seeing through Nirnasha's disguise, the trio walked down a hallway.

"I don't get it." Sun spoke up. "What's with the masks?"

"The masks are a symbol." Blake explained. "Humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, so the leader of the Vale branch of the White Fang chose that we must don the faces of monsters."

"Sounds like a great guy." Sun said sarcastically.

Donning their given masks, the trio entered, unaware that they were being observed from a distance by two men wearing white robes with red hoods, both looking almost identical, the tall one having a corsac foxtail, and the other having fennec fox ears. The two brothers looked to each other, then nodded, before walking around the other corner.

* * *

While this was happening, Ruby and Loki were down in the market district of the city, looking out for anything regarding the White Fang, but so far, found nothing of note.

"Nothing so far," Loki remarked. "I doubt the White Fang would risk being out in the open."

"Doesn't look like it," Ruby said with a shake of her head. "But without the masks, it'd be impossible to tell who's a member."

"Unless they come out and publicly out themselves as members," Loki said jokingly. "And what are the odds of that happening?"

"Pretty low." Ruby chuckled. "I doubt they're _that_ desperate for attention."

Putting the jokes to the side, the two continued onwards, wandering around the shopping district, asking around for information, but to no success. Eventually, they came to a stop at a park bench, both holding milkshakes; Ruby's was a cookie and cream kind, while Loki had a strawberry banana flavor kind.

"So, so far, we found nothing, huh?" Ruby remarked with a sad look.

"Looks like it." Loki shrugged with a sigh. "I wonder how the others are doing."

"Probably having more luck than we are." Ruby sighed.

As the two pondered their next move, or at least Loki was, Ruby was thinking about the Beacon Ball Dance that was coming up in several weeks before the Vytal Tournament and looking toward Loki, she took in a breath before letting it out.

"Loki, I wanted to ask you something." She spoke up.

"Sure, what's up?" Loki asked casually.

"The Beacon Dance is coming up." Ruby said, almost nervously. "Before the Vytal Festival Tournament, right?"

"As far as I know, yes." Loki nodded. "Why?"

"Well…" Ruby felt her heart skip several beats, before she breathed in and out again. "It's been a long time since we last did anything together, hasn't it? With you being gone, and my sister always being out, I never had anyone to actually hang out with."

"I'm sorry about that." Loki frowned. "I never meant to leave you all alone."

"Well, I thought we could make up for the lost time." Ruby suggested. "By you and me…going to the dance…together."

"Really?" Loki took a moment to muse the idea, before smirking. "Well, I certainly wouldn't mind going with my best friend, sure."

"Awesome!" Ruby whooped with a smile.

Suddenly, her scroll buzzed. Pulling it out and opening it, she saw a message from Yang.

"Meet outside the club. We need to talk."

Putting away the scroll, Ruby looked to her friend.

"Yang might've found something." Ruby said. "She says to meet out the front of the club."

"The club?" Loki gave a quizzical look. "I hope she wants to discuss information on the White Fang, not to foot a hospital bill."

"She's not like that!" Ruby defended. "Besides, that's why Cenric was there to make sure she doesn't go overboard."

With that, the two went off on the direction to the club, although they were completely unaware of a character on the rooftops, his eyes locked on the duo underneath his black kabuki mask with silver linings.

* * *

 **And there's the new chapter! Once again, I apologize for the slow updates. Even with the day off from work, I've been lazying about just enjoying my day off. Still, I do try to get some progress in on my chapters, as slow as they are.**

 **As you can obviously see, Teams RWBY and LNTC are beginning their investigation into the White Fang, but their unaware that they're being watched.**

 **Well, hope you guys are still enjoying the story! And be sure to review!**


	13. New Enemies

Team LNTC

Chapter Thirteen: Volume Two

New Enemies

Turoc wasn't quite sure what to think of what he was seeing. He had suspicions that there was something different about Penny; with her weight, the way she hiccups whenever she gave some half-baked excuse. He never expected her to be some sort of…

"Machine." Turoc got out, recovering from the surprise. "You're…a machine."

"Something like that." Penny nodded sadly. "Most girls are born. But I was made." She looked at Turoc. "I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an aura." She then looked downward with a frown. "I'm not real."

Taking hold of Penny's hands and looking at the metal under her peeled skin, Turoc closed her hands up and held them.

"Of course you are." Turoc assured with a comforting smile. "Do you really think that just because you're made of nuts and bolts instead of blood and guts make you any less real than me?"

Penny seemed surprised by his reply, then narrowed her eyes as she leaned in, "You're taking this extraordinarily well."

"I'm saying that you're not like the robots we saw earlier." Turoc pointed out, before poking a finger at her chest. "You have a heart, a soul. Aura comes from the soul of humans. If that doesn't prove that you're real, than I don't know what does."

Taking a moment to process this, Penny's expression turned to joy as she pulled him in for another bone crushing hug.

"Oh, Turoc!" She said happily, as she pressed Turoc's face against her chest with the hug. "You truly are a wonderful person! I'm so glad to have met you!"

"S-Same h-here." Turoc said, his voice muffled from Penny's chest. "I can also understand why your old man would want to protect such a delicate flower!"

"Oh, he's very sweet!" Penny exclaimed with a cheery smile, releasing Turoc. "He's the one that built me! I'm sure you would just love him! Especially since he's the one that's working on your grandfather's biplane!"

"Wow, sounds like a great guy." Turoc smiled. "So, he created you all by himself?"

"Well, almost," Penny admitted. "He had help from Mr. Ironwood."

"The general?" Turoc raised a brow, before his expression turned to surprise. "Wait, is that why those soldiers were chasing you?"

"They like to protect me too!" Penny casually said with a smile.

"What, they don't think you can protect yourself?" Turoc scoffed.

"They're not sure if I'm ready yet." Penny frowned, before she looked at Turoc. "One day, it will be my job to save the world. But I still have a lot to learn." She then smiled. "That's why my father let me come to the Vytal Festival. I want to see what it's like in the rest of the world, and test myself in the tournament."

Turoc could feel the burning passion, a great interest for learning more about the outside world, a desire to prove herself.

"How about I help you along the way?" Turoc offered. "I know quite a bit about the outside and I can help you quite a bit!"

"I don't know." Penny frowned, unsure. "Ironwood might get upset…"

"Hey, what the general doesn't know won't hurt him." Turoc shrugged with a smirk. "Besides, learning from a friend is much more preferable than remaining isolated."

Thinking this over for a bit, Penny allowed a smile to come to her face.

"I would love that!" Penny exclaimed, pressing her hands together. "Turoc, you truly are a great friend!"

Before they could continue, they were interrupted by sounds of approaching footsteps.

"You need to hide!" Penny quickly said, grabbing hold of Turoc.

Before he could object, Penny already lifted him up and tossed him in a nearby dumpster down in the alley, before jumping down and peering inside.

"And don't worry; they're not bad people." She assured. "I just don't want you to get in trouble." Her expression then turned serious. "Just promise me that you won't tell anyone about my secret.

"I promise." Turoc nodded after a moment of silence before Penny closed the lid.

After waiting several minutes, Turoc peeked out to see that Penny was gone, no doubt having gone with the Atlesian guards that were after her. Letting out a sigh, he climbed out and dusted himself off, before noticing a slip of paper fall from his jacket pocket. Curious, he squatted down and picked it up and read what looked like a message and an assortment of numbers;

"My scroll contact information. Send a message then I'll let you know when I'm available."

Taking a moment to take in what he read, Turoc looked up a bit with a blank expression, before a small smile emerged from his lips.

* * *

"How can you not know?" Yang demanded.

"Like I keep telling you, I haven't spoken to Torchwick since the last time you came in." Junior groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He paid for some hired help, I lent him my men, and my same men show up in mug shots the next day."

"Who exactly is Torchwick?" Cenric asked. "And what did he want your men for?"

"Where've you been at, kid?" Junior gave him a quizzical look. "Roman Torchwick's one of the most notorious crime lords in the criminal underworld!"

"Never heard of him." Cenric shrugged. "I'm from Mistral."

"He's actually well known in the criminal network in Mistral." Junior pointed out. "You're telling me you never heard of Torchwick there?"

"Nope." Cenric casually shook his head.

Junior gave Cenric a plain look, before looking back at Yang.

"Is this guy being serious?" he asked.

"Don't worry about him," Yang said with a raised hand. "Worry about _me_ if I don't find out what I want!"

"I already told you everything I know!" Junior growled. "Torchwick hired my boys and I guess he wasn't too pleased with them!" He turned to yell at his men working. "Which is something I can relate to!"

The henchmen glanced at that statement, before returning to work.

"C'mon, Cenric." Yang said, as she and Cenric made for the door.

"Hopefully, the others have had better luck." Cenric sighed.

As they made their way to the doors, the twins from earlier stood before Cenric, both sporting smirks.

"Why don't you stay with us?" The one wearing white asked.

"Yes, stay with us." The one in red repeated.

"No thanks." Cenric said bluntly. "I'm busy."

He made to follow Yang, but the one wearing white grabbed hold of his cybernetic arm.

"Please stay." The twin in white pleaded, tightening her grip.

"Yes, we're much more pleasant company." The twin in red sent a nasty look towards Yang.

Frowning, Yang looked like she was going to intervene, but she noticed Cenric's arm buzz to life, releasing a jolt of electricity, slightly shocking the girl in white, making her yelp as she stepped back.

"I told you; I'm busy." Cenric said sternly, as he walked off.

As Cenric walked passed her, Yang threw a smirk the twin's way and followed the Spartan, jogging up beside him.

"You're pretty much like a stone wall, ya know?" She spoke up. "A girl could stand ass naked in front of you and you wouldn't flinch."

"I'd simply tell them to put some clothes on before I report them for public nudity." Cenric shrugged.

"And here I thought you were dense." Yang joked. "So you knew I was puttin' the moves on you?"

"Of course I noticed." Cenric rolled his eyes. "I simply never cared for such advances."

"Too busy training?" Yang frowned. "Has anyone ever told you that you need to lighten up some?"

"I can 'lighten up' when it suits me." Cenric defended. "I simply never had the time for it."

"Really?" Yang smirked. "How about this; you and I go to the Beacon Dance together? Show me a real man underneath that armor."

"As long as you're not implying anything dirty with that last statement," Cenric said. "Then yes, I'll go with you."

"Good you see things my way." Yang smiled.

As the two walked back to Yang's motorcycle, Yang silently whooped victoriously to herself.

* * *

Back at the White Fang Rally; Blake and her two companions were doing their best to remain hidden within the crowd, as they watched a muscular White Fang Lieutenant stand on stage, addressing the crowd.

"Looks like the rally's about to start." Nirnasha remarked, one hand on his scepter.

Sun nodded, but noticed that Blake was shaking quite a bit.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, placing a calming hand on Blake's shoulder. "You're shaking."

Shakily, Blake raised a finger to the stage.

"There… on stage." She whispered.

Looking towards the stage, the boys saw the person she was referring to; the person in question was a tall Faunus with auburn hair that spikes backward in a windswept way. While most of his hair was red, he had streaks of brown. A noticeable trait of his appearance was the mask he wore, which obscured his entire upper face above his nose. His Faunus heritage was that of a bull, as he had two reddish-black horns, one on each side of his head, also seemingly slanted back.

He wore an asymmetrical black, long-sleeved, double-breasted stylized high-collared blazer with slit sleeves along with red thorn sigils adorned with a white crest that lined up on his left shoulder. His suit jacket had crimson lining atop his red shirt, with red thorn sigils atop a black flap attached to the bottom of the left hem and his wilting rose emblem on the back over an emblazoned white sigil resembling the curved stems and flower of the deadly nightshade plant. His blazer was half-buttoned, exposing a red shirt with a black line running parallel to his collar under it.

His mask was whitish-tan with red, Japanese style, horn-like symbols decorating the front and two slits on each side presumably to allow for vision. This is a redesigned version of the Grimm masks typically worn by most members of the White Fang. He wore long black dress pants, black shoes with red soles and black gloves with red sigils resembling the Greek letter Ω (Omega), the last letter in the Greek alphabet. He wore a black belt with white domino marks on it. His color palette generally consists of black and red, similar to the color scheme used by Ruby Rose.

He also had a chokutō sword sheathed at his side.

Blake couldn't help bet stare in fear of the Faunus on stage, standing off to the side, letting the Lieutenant address the crowd.

"Someone you know?" Nirnasha inquired.

"Adam Taurus, leader of the Vale faction of the White Fang." Blake nodded grimly. "But why is he here?"

"Let's not lose our cool now." Sun implored quietly, as he gently rubbed Blake's shoulders. "We don't want them to figure us out."

Nodding, Blake straightened herself up, watching as the Lieutenant stepped to the side, allowing another man to take center stage. The person was an obvious human that had slanted, dark-green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. Black eyeliner traced his visible left eye. He wore a red-lined white suit with long black pants and black shoes. His accessories included a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked into its red band. He also carried what looked like a red and white walking cane, though he seemed to carry it rather than using it for walking.

"I assume that man up there is Torchwick?" Nirnasha whispered

"Yes, that's him." Blake nodded. "I still don't understand why the White Fang is working with him…"

"Perhaps something's changed." Nirnasha suggested. "Because they look like hypocrite's for claiming to be so anti-human when they're working with a human."

Nirnasha also took notice of a young woman off to the side opposite of Adam; the woman was short, could be mistaken for a child, wore a white tail jacket with a pink interior, button and one wide broad tail, brown pants, black gloves, and black and white boots with very high heels and multiple buttons on each side. Under her jacket was a brown corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. She also wore a multitude of necklaces, which hang haphazardly around her neck.

Nirnasha also took note of her hair being half pink and half brown, with white streaks on the pink side. She also had one brown eye and the other pale pink.

Some of the Faunus around them shouted angrily, but a raised hand from Adam was more than enough to calm them down.

"Thank you for such a warm welcome!" Torchwick declared with a grin. "Now, I know what you're thinking; humans are the worst, and I'll be the first to agree with you. But who says that we can't work together every now and then, right?" He then smirked. "But my…employers have gotten a hold of something that will no doubt give you animals the edge against the ones that oppress you."

He then gestured to two of the White Fang soldiers, who then proceeded to remove the large, white sheet, revealing an Atlesian Paladin, like the one shown on the holographic display, except this one had a camouflage paintjob and had the White Fang emblem painted on the sides, causing the crowd to cheer at the sight.

The trio was absolutely stunned, unsure how Torchwick got his hands on such a piece of weaponry.

"This bad boy right here," Torchwick continued, tapping the leg of the machine. "Is one of Atlas' newest line of defense against all the scary things in the world." He then smirked. "And thanks to my employer, I was able to snag a few before they hit the shelves." He then gestured to the crowd. "So, if you _really_ want to fight for what you believe in, _this_ is the weaponry I can provide!"

The crowd cheered loudly, much to the discomfort of the trio.

"How can these people advocate such unnecessary violence so easily?" Nirnasha whispered, clearly outraged.

"Maybe they don't care for the peaceful way." Sun shrugged.

Before Blake could reply, she noticed Adam was looking their way, specifically at her. She could feel his gaze from under the mask, sending shivers down her spine.

"Guys," She whispered to her companions. "Adam's looking right at us."

"Crap!" Sun gulped nervously. "Should we make a run for it?"

"Not in a crowd as big as this." Nirnasha said. "Besides, Torchwick will no doubt spot us."

Looking around, Nirnasha spotted a power box on the far side of the room.

"I see the power box." He whispered to his companions. "If I can clear shot, I can shut out the lights."

"What about the other Faunus in the room?" Blake asked.

"If you're worried about the night vision part, don't worry." Nirnasha said. "We just need to get out quickly while they're surprised."

As the other Faunus were lining up for recruitment, Blake took note of Adam speaking to Torchwick, while pointing their way, much to her internal fright. Though she couldn't hear what they were saying, she could guess that Adam suspected them. Torchwick looked like he was going to gesture the girl next to him to move in, but Adam shook his head, seeming to rather deal with it himself, as he then jumped down from the stage.

"He's coming this way!" Blake pointed out in silent fear.

"I know." Nirnasha replied, as he pulled out his scepter and powered it up under his cloak.

Adam was moving his way through the crowd, making his way towards them.

"Nirn?" Sun said.

"I know." Nirnasha repeated.

Time seemed to slow down, as Blake retreated to Sun's arms, as the monkey-Faunus reached for his gunchucks with one hand while the other covered Blake, as Adam got closer, reaching his hand out, as Nirnasha saw the power box was clear and raised his scepter.

Time reverted to normal, as Nirnasha quickly aimed his scepter at the power box and fired a lightning bolt, the bolt hitting the power box, causing it to explode and the power to go out, causing the Faunus inside to panic.

"Everyone, please remain calm!" The Lieutenant called, trying to keep the crowd calm. "The backup generator will kick in in a few minutes!"

Just as the Lieutenant said, the power came back on, but Adam saw that Blake and her friends were nowhere to be seen, and there was a shattered window…

* * *

Weiss and Neptune left the CCTS tower, having gotten what they needed.

"Well, the White Fang sure have been busy." Neptune remarked nervously.

"Besides the usual Dust store and train robberies," Weiss spoke up, slightly shaken. "The White Fang somehow managed to steal some Atlesian Paladins! How in Remnant did they manage that?!"

"Maybe they had some outside help?" Neptune suggested.

Before their conversation could continue, however, they saw Turoc approach with the usual smile on his face.

"There you are, Turoc." Weiss said. "Where were you?"

"Sorry about that." Turoc rubbed the back of his neck. "I was busy."

"Busy contacting your informants?" Neptune inquired.

"Yeah, about that…" Turoc said nervously. "I…kinda forgot."

"What?!" Weiss gasped in disbelief. "How could you have forgotten?!"

"I ran into Penny earlier." Turoc defended. "She seemed troubled and I wanted to help her."

"Wait, you know Penny?" Weiss said with surprise.

"We met when Ironwood came for me." Turoc explained. "Nice girl, but she seems to be kept on a short leash for some reason."

Before he would allow Weiss and Neptune to question him further, his scroll vibrated. Holding up a finger for them to wait, then pulled out his scroll and opened it up, the frantic face of Nirnasha Hex appearing on the screen.

"Turoc, we need help!" Nirnasha said in a panic. "We've been spotted and now we're being chased by Roman with an Atlesian Paladin!"

"Well, shit." Turoc sighed. "Where are you guys now?"

"Riding down the street!" Nirnasha said. "Sun just suggested leading that machine onto the highway!"

"Be sure to smack him later!" Turoc almost growled. "With the highway bein' this busy, it'll be a massacre!"

"Where to then?"Nirnasha asked.

At that moment, Loki appeared on the screen, joining the call.

"Lure him to the junkyard in the industrial district!" The trickster said. "There aren't any people working there on a Friday!"

"Sounds much more preferable." Turoc mused. "Thanks, boss!"

Ending the call, Turoc turned to his two friends.

"We better get moving and warn the others." He said. "Those three will need all the help they can get!"

The three hurriedly ran off to aid their friends.

* * *

Yang and Cenric were zooming down the streets on Yang's motorcycle, speeding past cars and other obstacles. After being informed of the situation by Turoc, the two hopped on Yang's motorcycle and sped off.

As they drove onwards, however, they failed to notice the two cloaked figures on the rooftop, pursuing them with impressive speed. Catching up, one of the figures threw what looked like a gold and black dagger, the dagger hitting the back wheel of the motorcycle, causing the bike to flip forward, sending the two flying across the street with a surprised yelp, as the bike crashed into a set of trashcans.

Rolling over several times across the cobblestone road, Cenric managed to stop at one knee before catching Yang, who was flying at him, sending the two back on the ground.

"Ow, that hurts!" Yang groaned, opening her eyes.

As she looked however, she noticed that Cenric was blushing like mad, before seeing that her breasts were pressed against his chest plate.

"Whoa, sorry about that!"

Quickly sitting up, Yang however accidentally rubbed her butt up against Cenric's crotch, making him blush even further.

"I swear you're doing this on purpose." Cenric said as calmly as he could, trying not to lose his temper.

"I swear I'm not!" Yang quickly denied, though did nothing to hide her blush.

"THEN GET OFF ME, DAMMIT!" Cenric finally yelled, finally losing his patience.

Quickly, Yang scrambled to her feet, allowing the Spartan to get up before dusting himself off.

"Really, I didn't mean for that to happen." Yang swore, before looking over to the wreck that was her bike, an angry look appearing on her face. "But someone is gonna pay for WRECKING MY BIKE!"

"What happened, anyway?" Cenric wondered. "The bike just went out of control."

And then, from the shadows, two cloaked figures emerged. Both were wearing matching red and black cloaks. The only difference was that one of them had fox ears while the other had a fox tail.

"It seems our new friends are aggravated, brother." The one with the tail remarked.

"It would seem so, brother." The one with the ears agreed with a nod.

"You the ones that trashed my bike?" Yang demanded with a growl. "If so, then you guys just earned the top of my shit list."

"Not to mention you're getting in the way of huntsman business." Cenric pointed out. "I suggest you stay out of the way unless you want to be seen as terrorists."

The two brothers looked to one another, before the one with the ears walked over to the crashed motorcycle.

"But don't you know?" The one with the tail asked.

"We are already seen as terrorists by the world." The one with the ears finished, as he pulled his dagger from the wreck. "My brother, Fennec, and I, Corsac Albain, have our duties to perform as representatives of the White Fang."

Looking to one another, Yang and Cenric glared at the Albain Brothers, before readying their own weapons.

"Then I suppose there's nothing else to say then." Cenric declared, slamming his spear against his shield before taking a stance.

"You boys are gonna regret getting in our way!" Yang said loudly, slamming her armored fists together before taking a stance.

Nodding to one another, the Albain brothers drew out their own weapons, a set of golden daggers that glowed with red and green, before taking their stances together.

* * *

Loki and Ruby ran as hard as they could through the streets, desperately trying to get to the industrial district of the city as soon as possible to help their friends and teammates. Thankfully, thanks to Loki having lived in the city of Vale for the majority of his life, the mischief huntsman had a good lay of the land, knowing several shortcuts through alleys and other ways around the city to get to certain places quickly.

As the duo ran onward, however, the cloaked figure with the kabuki mask watched from a street overpass ahead of them. As the two came underneath, the figure leaped, landing a good few feet ahead of them, leaving a small dent in the road, surprising the two as they came to a stop. The figure slowly stood up, then looked over their shoulder at them before turning towards them.

Besides the pitch black cloak and the black mask with silver linings and a cowl that hid the figure's hair, the figure also wore dark set of clothing under some equally black armor on his arms, torso and legs, the clothing consisting of a dark shirt and black pants and what looked like military styled boots and gloves that reached his elbows and the figure had a silver skull and crossbones on the torso armor.

"Who the heck is that?" Ruby asked Loki in a hushed whisper.

"No clue." Loki said. "But I already don't like the look of this guy."

The two faced the figure, who remained unmoving.

"So, we finally meet." The figure spoke, their voice sounding like the gravelly tone of a male.

"Should we know you?" Loki dared a question.

"Perhaps not." The man shrugged. "But I know everything about you two." His head moved to address them. "Son of Odin. Daughter of Summer."

The teens seemed to be in complete shock at how casually he mentioned their parents.

"How do you know our parents?!" Loki demanded, clearly shaken.

"We go back a while." The man revealed. "Before I put Summer in the dirt."

Ruby gasped at this, her hand covering her mouth, shocked at the mention of her mother.

"You're telling me that YOU'RE the one behind Mrs. Summers death?!" Loki demanded angrily.

"Would've finished her off, if not for your father." The man said, no doubt glaring under the mask. "The only thing I regret is not finishing them both off."

The man then reached up, grabbing the handle of a large zweihander in a sheath strapped to his back, then slowly pulled it from the sheath, the massive blade smashing the cobblestone underneath as it hit the ground.

"I am Judas Blackburn, and I'm here to finish what I started." The man declared as he pointed the blade at them. "To wipe out both bloodlines."

Ruby seemed shaken at the very sight of this man after the mention of her mother's death, which she wasn't sure if this man was truly responsible for.

"Ruby, listen to me!" Loki said, his hands gripping her shoulders. "We can't let this guy get in our heads! We have to stay strong and show that we won't be intimidated!"

Ruby still seemed unsure, but she nodded, as the two faced the man, Loki drawing out Polydeuces and Castor, and Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and the two took their stances, aiming to fight off this threat.

* * *

Nirnasha rode what looked like a spiritual steed that seemed larger than the average horse, large and dark blue with several scars with dark red eyes, with Nirnasha at the saddle, with Blake behind him and Sun on the back. Nirnasha rode his spirit horse onward, darting down several streets before arriving at the district. Looking over his shoulder, he could see the Paladin, no doubt being piloted by Roman Torchwick, was right on their tail, then turned his attention to his front, as they arrived at the entranceway to the junkyard, his spectral stallion jumping over several junks in the way, before coming to a stop at the center of the yard, seeing the Paladin blocking the entrance.

"Dude, has anyone ever mentioned that your Semblance is overpowered?" Sun asked.

"You're neither the only one nor the first to say that." Nirnasha replied.

As they got off and Nirnasha made the ghostly horse disappear, the Paladin approached, weapons at the ready, then Blake noticed with shock that Adam Taurus had arrived as well, jumping down from a pile of junk.

"You two deal with Roman and his Paladin." Nirnasha spoke up. "I'll deal with Taurus."

"But-"

Before Blake could object, Sun stepped forward, gunchucks at the ready.

"Yo, don't sweat it!" He said enthusiastically. "He can handle himself!"

Blake seemed very unsure, but reluctantly allowed it, as she and Sun faced off with Torchwick in the Paladin, while Nirnasha stood before the bull-Faunus.

"So, you're the leader of the Vale faction of the White Fang." The necromancer declared.

"Yet another human that stands in the way." Adam spat, hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Please, drop the whole 'all humans are racists' excuse, Mr. Taurus." Nirnasha scoffed with arms crossed. "It gets old way too fast."

"And who are you to judge me?" Adam demanded.

"Never heard of me?" Nirnasha mused, before smirking. "I'm not surprised, given you're busy organizing terrorist attacks on innocent people." He then struck an epic pose. "My name is Nirnasha Hex; Necromancer of Vacuo!"

Adam sized him up, before nodding.

"Ah, I've actually heard plenty about you, Reaper of the Sand." The bull-Faunus declared. "The wolf that lives among sheep."

"What did I just say about the race excuse?" Nirnasha frowned. "Regardless, it doesn't justify your violent ways."

"You know nothing!" Adam shouted. "You weren't there when my parents were lynched! You weren't there when I was sold to the Schnee Dust Company as a child! You weren't there when I was thrown into their Dust mines!"

"I'm sorry for what you went through, I really am." Nirnasha said. "But don't you see that responding with violence will only make things worse for your people? Just look at Vacuo; say what you want about it, but Vacuo stands as a prime example of humans and Faunus living in peace and equality!"

"The Faunus there are fools to accept humans so easily." Adam said dismissively. "They have no clue what goes on in the other Kingdoms, what happens to our brothers and sisters under such prejudice." He looked down at the ground. "I admit, we have done terrible things, but only because the humans did it to us first!" He looked up at the necromancer. "You may call me a monster, but my people see me as a hero!"

"But don't you understand that you're only making things worse?!" Nirnasha snapped. "Fighting violence with violence will only breed violence! I thought you'd be smart enough to at least see that! But all you do is lump every human on the face of Remnant with the ones that oppress you! How narrow-minded can you be?!" He then waved a hand. "Humans and Faunus ARE capable of living peacefully! And the fact that you're denying it shows how delusional you really are!"

"I grow tired of your preaching." Adam growled, drawing out his sword. "I will bring peace for my kind with the annihilation of humanity!" He pointed his sword at Nirnasha. "Starting with you."

Nirnasha gave him a deathly glare, knowing that he cannot talk the radical down.

"Only a monster resorts to the absolute." He said as he pulled out his scepter. "As a huntsman, I will do what I must."

"You will try." Adam replied.

They stood for a moment, before Adam charged forward, barely giving Nirnasha enough time to switch his scepter to its glaive form, blocking the sword slash with his weapon, the two young men mere inches away from each other's faces, before Adam swung violently, Nirnasha doing his best to defend, but Adam's superior strength and skills with the sword made it difficult.

Jumping back some, Nirnasha summoned several undead warriors, the undead charging toward Adam, who easily cut the warriors down one by one. As soon as he cut down the last one, however, he was met with several lightning bolts from Nirnasha to the abdomen. Nirnasha fired several more bolts, but Adam was able to swat the bolts away this time with his sword before closing the distance, but Nirnasha jumped back once more, sending a wave of necro-arms barreling from the ground towards the bull-Faunus, but Adam managed to jump out of the way before closing the distance once again, his blade meeting that of Nirnasha's glaive, before pushing the necromancer back, making him stumble a bit.

"I thought you were supposed to be powerful!" Adam taunted. "How disappointing."

Nirnasha sent him a glare.

"You want powerful?" He asked with a grin. "You've got it!"

He then threw his weapon into the air, then summoned a necro-glyph underneath him, and after performing what looked like some form of ritualistic dance, his eyes and the marks over his eyes began to glow, as he then let loose a burst of energy, his body consumed by a dark blue flame, before something inhuman emerged from the flame before Adam's eyes.

In Nirnasha's place stood a tall, massive skeletal figure glowing a bright blue color, cladded in metal spiked armor with skulls adjourned the armor, with a crown atop its head. The skeletal being caught the glaive, the weapon turning into a massive spectral scythe in a whisk of blue flame.

" **YOU WISH TO SEE POWER?!"** The being said with a mad cackle. " **WELL, NOW YOU FACE THE POWER OF THE SKELETON KING!"**

Unafraid, Adam readied his sword, preparing for a tough fight.

* * *

Yang launched herself forward with a burst from Ember Celica, hurling right for Fennec, who merely jumped back, as Corsac dashed forward towards Cenric, swinging his dagger, as the Spartan raised his shield in defense, then thrust his spear several times, but Corsac was able to parry the thrusts with his daggers, before using the Dust infused in the daggers to send several small tornados at the Spartan, each one hitting Cenric's shield, pushing him back a bit. Cenric switched his spear to its shotgun form and fired several times, but Corsac dodged the blasts, then switched his daggers into what looked like wands and launching fireballs at him, the Spartan managing to block that blasts with his shield, then Corsac charged forward his feet planted against the shield and pushed hard, throwing the Spartan back.

Changing up his strategy a bit, Cenric switched his shotgun to its hammer form, spun it around for an extra charge and slammed it into the ground, sending a shockwave at the enemy Faunus, and though Corsac was able to jump to the side to dodge, the attack did hit Fennec, stunning him.

"Thanks for the assist, big guy!" Yang called.

Corsac looked back in horror at his error, and Cenric took advantage of this distraction, speeding forward and attacking with rapid thrust with his spear, then delivered two swiping arcs, before rearing his spear back, switching it to its hammer form, then sent a powerful recoil powered uppercut to the jaw, sending Corsac flying into the air, then waited for the Faunus to fall to level with him, before sending a mechanical fist to Corsac's face, sending him crashing into the cobblestone road.

Thanks to her companion's almost unintentional assist, Yang used this opportunity to finish her opponent, sending several Semblance powered punches to Fennec, who tried to defend as best he cut, but Yang's superior strength became too much, as she then send an uppercut to the jaw, sending the poor Faunus into the air, and as he came down, Yang reared her arm back, and as the Faunus came down to eye level, she winked mockingly at him, before sending a powerful punch to the face, sending him into the dirt with his brother.

"And both bite the dust." Cenric remarked, before putting away his hammer and shield.

"We make a great team, big guy." Yang said with a sultry smirk. "Thanks for the assist, by the way."

"That was mostly unintentional," Cenric pointed out. "But I'm glad it was of some benefit to you."

The two looked and to their shock, the Albain brothers were back up again, although their clothes with tattered and ruined from the pummeling they had just received.

"It seems we have underestimated you two." Fennec declared calmly.

"Indeed we have." Corsac agreed. "A grave error on our part."

"So I'm guessing you boys wanna try again?" Yang said with a confident smirk.

The brothers looked to each other, shook their heads, then back to the pair.

"I think we've done our part." Fennec responded calmly.

"Are you planning on running away?" Cenric asked mockingly. "I thought the White Fang were supposed to be a force to be reckoned with."

"We were merely distracting you, as asked." Corsac declared. "If anything, you should be more concerned for your friends."

And with that, the brothers took off to the rooftops and disappeared with impressive speed.

"What the hell were they talking about?" Yang asked with a raised brow.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Cenric said grimly.

Suddenly, his scroll went off, prompting him to pull it out and open it, showing Turoc on the other line.

"Soldier Boy, what's happening?" The fox-Faunus asked. "I was checking the teams aura gauges and it said that yours was down to halfway for some reason."

"Yang and I ran into some trouble with White Fang representatives." Cenric explained. "Called themselves the Albain brothers, but we chased them off."

"The Albain brothers." Turoc repeated. "Adam's biggest pair of fanboys, spreading his hate and racism like a virus."

"Well, they're gone now." Yang said as she stood next to Cenric. "Should we head keep heading to the junkyard?"

"Wait, something's up with Ruby and Loki." Turoc said. "I tried contacting Loki, but he's not responding."

"Want us to go check?" Cenric asked.

"Yeah, if you don't mind." Turoc nodded. "Neptune, Weiss and I are heading down to the junkyard, so Blake, Sun and Nirnasha will no doubt have more than enough backup."

"If you insist." Cenric nodded before the call ended.

"They should still be in the market place, last time Ruby told me." Yang said. "We need to hurry!"

In agreement, but with the motorcycle wrecked, the two rushed off after Yang called a tow service to take the motorcycle to a repair shop.

* * *

Back at the junkyard, Blake jumped out of the way of rapid gunfire from the Atlesian Paladin, as Roman fired the machine's gatling gun, trying to turn the two students into swiss cheese. while the students did their best to fight back.

Daring to look back, Blake could see Nirasha in his Skeleton King form, pushing hard against Adam, but noticed that every time the King struck Adam, Adam's aura would flare up a bit, as though Nirnasha was weakening him, but she also knew all too well what it meant.

"LOOK OUT!"

Blake looked to see the mechanical fist of the Paladin swing at her, but Sun jumped and tackled her out of the way, the Paladin fist crashing into the ground.

"You should really be more aware of your surroundings!" Sun half-joked. "You could've been flattened!"

Blake wanted to reply, but she was blushing heavily at how close they were, the sight of his bare chest made her blush madly with red.

"Yeah, y-you're right." Blake said before standing up. "Sorry about that."

Sun quickly jumped back into the fight and Blake readied herself, but she noticed the world turn black and red, and quickly turned around to see Nirnasha, still in his Skeleton King form, seeing parts of Adam go dark, parts of his clothing, his hair and mask glow red, as he started to draw his sword once again.

"NIRNASHA, WATCH OUT!" She screamed.

But it was too late.

* * *

Nirnasha didn't see it coming. He didn't see the attack coming. He didn't even have time to jump back before Adam swung his blade, the blade leaving a massive cut across Nirnasha's torso, the attack sending him flat on his back, his weapon flying from his grip. When the world went back to normal color, Nirnasha couldn't comprehend what he had just witnessed, nor could he make sense of what happened. He was certain he had a little over half of his aura to take the blow, but somehow, Adam had easily cut right through it like butter, depleting him to nothing

How could this have happened? Unless…

"What…was that…?" Nirnasha choked out, a hand clutching the wound left on his torso. "Was that…your Semblance…?"

"It was, indeed." Adam confirmed with a smirk, holding up his sword. "My Semblance, the Moonslice, stores up energy whenever I block attacks with my sword and I can send it back." His smirk became wicked. "It can also deplete your entire aura reserves, if utilized correctly."

In shock, Nirnasha could only watch as the bull-Faunus now stood over him in dominance, looking down at him with that same smirk, sword in hand. The necromancer was completely at Adam's mercy.

"Although I have to say," Adam said as his smirk turned into a frown. "I do feel a small bit of empathy for you."

Nirnasha looked up at him in confusion, "How so?"

"I've read you up, Reaper of the Sand." Adam revealed. "About how you grew up among the Faunus in Vacuo, how you used your Semblance to help those in need, how you cared deeply about the lives that reside there." He then shooked his head. "If you were born differently, perhaps things would be different between us."

"What's that supposed to mean 'born differently'?" Nirnasha narrowed his eyes at him. "Different how?"

"If you were born a Faunus." Adam clarified. "If you were one of our people, I would've gone great lengths to find you and recruit you. We would've brought the humans to their knees." He then sighed. "A shame that that never happened. We both seek to make the world a better place. And yet we were born to different races."

Nirnasha couldn't help but feel disgusted by the words Adam was using. This terrorist has the nerve to compare himself to Nirnasha, who has done everything he could to help the people of Vacuo, but this man has done nothing but cause hurt and suffering. And for what? All because a few humans treated him poorly? The very thought angered Nirnasha greatly.

"Don't think we're anywhere near similar, you rotten brat." Nirnasha seethed.

"What?!" Adam snarled in response. "What did you say?!"

"You think the whole of humanity hates you because a few humans didn't treat you right?" Nirnasha said through gritted teeth. "We might have a few similarities, like wanting to make the world a better place, went through all kinds of bad treatment, but that's all. I grew up to help others and only hurt those when absolutely necessary." He then gestured a hand to the bull-Faunus. "But you? You hurt others because they're human, all because a few humans treated you badly. You lump all of humanity in the same category as the ones that hurt you, put you through hell." He then gave an angry glare. "You think you're some paragon to the Faunus race, but all I see is a little kid throwing a tantrum when he doesn't get his way!"

If Adam didn't seemed pissed off before, he certain was now; his grip on his sword tightened so much that it looked like he was going to break the handle, a vein appeared on his neck and his teeth were bared with anger.

"That's it." He raised his sword over his head. "Die, vermin!"

But before he could bring his blade down, his was struck in the chest by an arrow, which exploded upon impact, sending the bull-Faunus flying back some.

"Wha-" Nirnasha gasped, before turning to see Turoc running up to him, crossbow in hand, with Blake and Weiss following after.

"Good to see you're still alive, Dead Man." Turoc declared.

"Nirnasha, I'm so sorry for this!" Blake cried, tears running down her face. "I should've warned you about Adam, but with the fighting, I-"

"Blake, please do not blame yourself." Nirnasha shook his head. "I was the one who made the mistake of letting my guard down. You are not to blame for my mistake."

"But-" Blake tried to argue, but Weiss stopped her.

"Look, there's no need to start feeling bad for yourself." The Schnee heiress said. "Besides, we've got more important things to worry about right now!"

Nodding, Blake pulled the necromancer over to a corner, Nirnasha surrounding himself with undead warriors, before she joined back with Weiss and Turoc to face Adam.

'The Schnee heiress, the traitor, and the slanderer of the White Fang.' Adam thought to himself with a smirk. 'All three of my biggest enemies in one place.'

* * *

Facing Torchwick in his Paladin, Sun was joined by Neptune and two other companions, who were also members of his team. One of them, Scarlet David, had red hair that comes down over his right eye, with a complete undercut. There were several red markings around his left eye. He wore a green, mulberry, navy color feather earring on his left ear and has a red military pelisse-like jacket draped over the left side. He also wore a gray bandanna around his neck. On his right hand, he wore a fingerless glove, and on his right bicep, he had a gray band. He wore a white sleeveless shirt and light gray pants. He also wore a pair of long, brown, laced boots. Around his waist, he wore a brown belt and a slightly slanted gray belt that his weapon holster is attached to. He had his weapons drawn, Hook and Darling, which were a cutlass and a flintlock pistol with a grappling hook on the butt.

The second one, Sage Ayana, was a teenage boy with dark skin and yellow eyes. His hair was sage green, and he appeared to have tattoos of wings on his chest and tattoos of Roman numerals, matching those on his sword, around his neck. He wore a white long coat with asymmetrical sleeves, a green wing design similar to his tattoos and no shirt underneath, displaying his tattooed chest. His jacket also had a golden pauldron on his right shoulder and a golden cuff around his left wrist. He also wore a pair of dark pants fastened by a white belt with a yellow buckle. His weapon of choice was a large sword called Pilgram.

"Glad to see all of Team Season together again!" Sun boasted.

"My, you have such a way of getting into trouble, don't you?" Scarlet shook his head with a sigh.

"Well, that's our leader for ya." Sage agreed. "Good thing we were nearby."

"C'mon, guys!" Sun frowned. "You act like it's a bad thing!"

"Like how you stowed away on a cargo ship just to get to Vale faster?" Neptune pointed out. "Yeah, not a big deal that could've gotten you into trouble at aaaaallllll."

"Geez, give me a break, will ya?!" Sun whined.

With the Paladin approaching for the attack, the four boys sprang into action, as the machine sent a mechanical fist forward, Scarlet gracefully jumping over the attack, before bringing his sword down on the arm, severing it.

Growling, Torchwick fired the Paladin's gatling gun, the boys dodging to the best of their abilities until Neptune fired his rifle, Tri-Hard, the shot freezing the gatling gun, allowing Sun to move in close and swing his staff down with a yell, smashing it.

With the advantage, Sage charged in and swung his sword, chopping off the other arm of the Paladin, before he and Scarlet swooped in with a double blade attack, chopping off the legs and sending the machine crashing into the dirt.

"Crap!" The criminal growled, dusting himself off. "Just got this thing cleaned!"

Looking up, he saw the boys surround him, weapons at the ready.

"Looks like your days are numbered!" Sun boasted.

"Well, not just yet." Roman smirked. "I still have a few tricks up my sleeves!"

"Oh yeah?" Neptune raised his rifle and fired, the blast seemed to make contact, but Roman seemed to fall to pieces like glass.

Confused, the boys looked up to see an airship fly by, with Roman and the multi-eyed girl by his side.

"Many thanks, Neo." Roman thanked. "Now, why don't we go pick up the animal."

Neo simply nodded, as the airship flew around to where Adam was, as the bull-Faunus was squaring off with Turoc, Blake and Weiss.

"Hey, Taurus!" The crime boss yelled, gaining Adam's attention. "We're making a strategic retreat! Best save the reunion for another day!"

Cursing silently, Adam looked back at Blake, seeing a hit of both defiance and fear in her eyes.

"This isn't over, Blake." He said in a warning tone. "We will meet again."

And with that, he leaped up and climbed aboard, the airship flying off, leaving the teens in a bit of surprise.

"Well, that happened." Turoc said, putting away his crossbow.

"Inconceivable!" Weiss huffed, stomping a foot.

"We need to get going and find Loki and Ruby." Blake spoke up, snapping out of her fear induced state. "Whatever's keeping them, it can't be good!"

* * *

Ruby and Loki started off strong, with Loki making the first move, dashing forward and swung his blades, Judas raising his blade in defense as the small blades collided with the much larger blade, before stepping back some then going back on the offensive, swinging his katana blades, Blackburn blocking the attacks with his massive sword, somehow managing to hold the sword with ease with only one hand, before taking a swing, only for Loki to duck under the attack, then back flipping a few feet back, allowing Ruby to dash forward to attack, swinging her scythe and hitting the man square in the chest, pushing him back.

Grunting, Judas stuck his sword into the ground, the blade glowing with a brown lighting, then swiped it outward, launching a wave of rock spikes towards the young huntsman and huntress, the two jumping out of the way, but the man swung his blade yet again, the blade glowing with a green light this time, creating a massive wave of wind, blowing the two back.

Loki charged in for the attack, the masked man switching his zweihander sword into a Spartan spear, then blocked some of the trickster's attacks, although Loki did get some lucky hits in. Loki crossed his blades and went for the neck, but the masked man brought his spear up and caught the blades before turning and throwing the trickster in the air, who twirled in air before landing with grace, then switched his weapons to their gun modes and opening fire, the masked attacker spinning his spear around to block the bullets.

Completely focused on Loki and not watching behind him, Judas staggered a bit as he took a shot to the back. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Ruby, with Crescent Rose in its sniper rifle mode, cocking it back and firing again, this time Judas switching his spear back to its zweihander form and swatting the shots out of the air, before cutting the fourth bullet in half.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Loki opened fire again, the shots hitting the man in the back. With Loki shooting on one side and Ruby shooting on the other, it was difficult to defend. Finally, he drove his blade into the ground and spun, manipulating the earth and wind Dust in his sword, the wind sending several chunks of rocks at them. Caught off guard, the teens did their best to dodge, although they did get hit several times.

Regrouping, the huntsman and huntress in training looked at their opponent in surprise.

"This guy's pretty tough!" Ruby said in between breaths. "I wonder if Uncle Qrow faced this guy before…"

"Given his track record, I wouldn't be surprised." Loki replied.

"Well, got any ideas?" Ruby asked.

Thinking for a moment, Loki smirked as an idea came to mind.

"Remember that thing we did when we used to play 'Hunters' as kids?" Loki asked, earning a nod from Ruby. "Let's try that!"

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked, unsure. "We were just kids and it was just pretend."

"Well now's our chance to make it real." Loki said. "Trust me; I just know it'll work."

Although she was unsure, Ruby nodded, her hand pressing against his, before they locked fingers, the two facing the masked man with faces of determination.

"WILD FLOWER!"

With a shout, the pair charged forward, as Judas swung his sword again, the winds generated by the wind Dust sending various debris at the duo, but Ruby used her Semblance to dodge the debris, the two turning into red and green blurs speeding past the projectiles as they closed in. Once they got closer, Ruby swung Loki around a bit before throwing him towards the masked man, the trickster landing a strong kick to the Judas' face, sending him into the dirt while also cracking his mask.

"That looked like it hurt!" Loki boasted with a grin.

"It actually worked!" Ruby admitted excitedly. "It really did!"

The two's celebration was cut short, however, as Blackburn sat up like a dead man before rising to his feet, the mask sporting a massive crack over the top.

"Just how tough is this guy?!" Loki said in surprise.

"How did Uncle Qrow fight someone like this?!" Ruby gasped.

The man cracked his neck several times, his aura glowing a mix of black and silver, before…

"RAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!"

After unleashing a demonic roar, he swung his blade down into the ground, unleashing a wave of earth and fire. Shocked by this turn of events, the two jumped in different directions to dodge the attack, the wave of basically lava crashing into a car, destroying it. The man then swung his sword to the left at Loki, unleashing a wave of wind and lightning this time, the trickster jumping out of the way, the lightning storm leaving a path of destruction in its path. He then swung his sword to the right at Ruby, once again unleashing a wave of gravity and ice, though Ruby managed to dodge the attack, the wave leaving several chunks of ice spears stricking the ground.

The two were shocked by this turn of events, before Ruby noticed something shine from the eyes of the man's mask; the light seemed to shine a dark silver color. She couldn't help but feel a sort of familiarity from this man.

Undeterred, Loki shot a gravity Dust bullet at his feet, before launching himself at the man, thrusting his Castor blade forward…only for Judas to grab hold of the blade with an armored hand, much to Loki and Ruby's shock.

That shock only grew, as the masked man effortlessly snapped the blade in half, much to their shock, then swung the blade at Loki's chest, cutting into his aura. Dropping the broken blade, the man charged forward, grabbing Loki's head and sent the trickster crashing through the ground, then tossing him into the air, then grabbed his leg, then slammed him into the ground, then grabbed his arm and pulled him hard and swung him hard before sending him crashing into a car.

"LOOOKIIIII!" Ruby screamed in shock at her friend's condition.

The car flipped sideways, Loki tumbling onto the ground, holding his right arm in pain, several tears in his shirt and jacket could be seen.

"Loki!" Ruby gasped in horror as she ran to her friend's side. "Are you alright?!"

"I-I think so…" Loki groaned in pain. "But…I think that guy broke my arm…"

Pulling out her scroll, Ruby gasped in shock, "Loki, your aura is gone!"

"Well, that explains something…" Loki said half-heartedly.

Before they could think any further, the car was practically thrown to the side, as they saw the masked man towering over them, his eyes filled with rage and hate. Trying not to show fear, Ruby stood to defend Loki, shakily holding her weapon in its scythe form.

Judas simply looked down at her with an empty expression.

"Deviant to the end," He said as he raised his sword over his head. "Just like your mother."

Ruby screamed as she closed her eyes at the sight of the blade coming down…but the attack never came.

Looking up, she saw a completely different person enter the fray, dressed in red and black and a red odachi sword drawn and the blade pushing against that of the zweihander.

Ruby could only look on in surprise as the two unknown figures faced off, the woman's eyes filled with rage.

"You," Raven slowly seethed. "Will not. Touch them. Ever AGAIN!"

With that last word, Raven Branwen pushed as hard as she could, pushing the man back. She then charged forward, swing her sword, Omen, the blade colliding against Judas' blade, Shattered Sanity, before the two clashed, trading blade strikes.

Watching the fight, Ruby was awestruck by what she was seeing, confused by the woman's sudden appearance.

"I can't believe she came back," Loki said in disbelief. "After the things I said…"

"Loki, who is that?" Ruby asked.

Giving Ruby a look, Loki looked back at the fight.

"An old friend who I owe a lot to."

Raven traded blows with the man, who defended and struck back with just a much, before their blades collided again then pushed away from each other, before Judas swung his blade upwards, sending a wave of earth spikes towards Raven, who quickly changed to her bird form, flying over the attack before diving down towards the masked man, her bird cries turning into a scream of fury as she turned back to her human form, tackling the man to the ground before proceeding to land punch after punch to Judas' face, cracking his mask further.

Halting her assault, she grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him close, her eyes glaring into his eyes under the mask.

"You will pay for all that you've done!"

Without warning, Judas headbutted her, then kicked her off of him, sending her onto her butt. Picking up his sword, he went to land the killing blow, but a different weapon stopped him, looking to see that it was Qrow Branwen with Harbinger drawn and in its scythe form.

"Uncle Qrow/Mister Qrow!" Ruby and Loki shouted in surprise.

"Qrow…?" Raven said in surprise.

"Raven," Qrow gave his sister a smirk. "I've got your back!"

Pushing the attacker back, Qrow helped his sister up, the two readying themselves. Cracking his neck, Judas looked to see Team SCPO along with Winter and Desmond approaching from afar, and noticed the rest of RWBY, LNTC, and SSSN approaching far from behind him. He then took notice of the airship flying close, seeing Torchwick in the cockpit.

Seeing that he was outnumbered and knowing that he would be overwhelmed in his state, he looked back at Loki and Ruby.

"Remember this day, offspring's of Summer and Odin," He said in a warning tone. "You haven't seen the last of me."

He then jumped and held on to the side of the airship, said ship turning and flew off at high speeds before Sting could raise his bat to fire a rocket.

Before the man left, however, Ruby saw something underneath the eyes of Judas' mask; she saw what looked like a pair of silver eyes like hers, except this Judas character's eyes were a darker shade of silver, so dark they could be mistaken for black.

"Ruby, Loki!" Qrow said in a worried tone, squatting down to them. "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, kinda." Loki shrugged, rubbing his injured arm. "Bastard broke my arm, but I'll heal."

"Uncle Qrow, I'm so happy to see you!" Ruby cried out, jumping at her uncle with a hug while crying into his chest. "I thought for sure that it was all over!"

"There there, kiddo." Qrow said in a soothing tone, gently rubbing his niece's back. "It's okay now."

Raven looked at Loki for a moment before approaching, the green sporting teen looking up at her for a moment before standing up, still holding his hurt arm.

"Raven…" He softly said, still taking in the fact that his parental figure was standing before him.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Suffered a broken arm, but I'm alright." Loki nodded.

"That's good," Raven said, before her eyes widened at that. "That you're okay, I mean!"

"No, I get it." Loki chuckled.

There was an awkward silence, the pair unsure on what to say until the others arrived.

"Loki, Ruby!" Yang yelled, worry in her voice. "Are you guys alright?!"

"Yeah, but we ran into a real nasty adversary." Loki said. "Broke my arm in the fight." He looked and nearly gasped at the sight of Nirnasha. "Dude, what happened to you?!"

"Adam…Semblance…" The necromancer said weakly, gripping the wound.

"Adam left a huge mark on the guy," Sun explained, letting the necromancer lean against him. "Cut straight through his aura."

"Then we'll need to get you lot to the infirmary as soon as possible." Sting declared, before turning to Raven. "Raven Branwen; hate to say it, but you're under arrest."

Before Loki or Qrow could say anything, Raven raised a hand.

"Don't worry, you two." She said. "It's about time I faced Ozpin anyways."

After helping Ruby and Loki up, the group made their way to the airship, with a handcuffed Raven in tow, as Ruby and Loki approached Qrow.

"Hey, Mister Branwen?" Loki said.

"What did I tell you before about calling me 'mister', kid?" Qrow asked with a raised brow.

"It annoys you." Loki said with a chuckle, before getting serious. "But that guy from before…"

"You wanna know who he was, right?" Qrow said their question for them.

The two teens nodded, though they saw the dejected look on the veteran Huntsman's face, as though he was about to cry.

Breathing in then letting out a sigh, Qrow looked at the two with a serious look.

"That man was Judas Blackburn." He said. "A rogue huntsman and the reason Summer is gone."

* * *

 **And there's the new chapter! We see Adam and the Albains in action, we meet Judas Blackburn, and we see Raven and SCPO again! Originally, I was gonna have Yang lose her arm in this chapter, trying to fight Judas, but I decided against it, since it would sideline her for probably the rest of the plot, considering that dealing with a loss of limb can lead to PTSD, depression, and the ever-present phantom pain, so I decided against it.**

 **Judas Blackburn was inspired by Judas from the Christian bible, the man that betrayed Jesus Christ. His weapon, Shattered Sanity, can manipulate multiple Dust at once, making it a very versatile weapon and dangerous. His Semblance is called 'Pure Madness, not gonna go into too much detail, but just remember that.**

 **Also, Nirnasha is loosely based off of Death from Darksiders 2, my favorite game from the Darksiders series, with his Semblance of mastering the dead.**

 **Anyways, sorry for the late upload, you know how it goes; life knocked on my door and I had to answer it.**

 **Still, hope you guys enjoyed it and are looking forward to more! Be sure to review!**


	14. Recuperation And Revelation

Team LNTC

Chapter Fourteen: Volume Two

Recuperation and Revelation

After the botched investigation, the adults brought Teams RWBY and LNTC, along with Team SSSN, to the school's infirmary to treat the injuries of Nirnasha and Loki. While the rest of the group hadn't suffered serious injuries, Nirnasha was treated for the massive gash wound across the chest and his clothes were replaced, while Loki had to have a cast put around his injured arm. Other than the injuries, Loki's Castor katana-gun was taken for repairs.

However, this didn't mean that they weren't in trouble.

* * *

"How ya holdin' up, kid?" Sting asked blandly.

Loki was laid up in the Beacon medical ward, a bandage wrapped around his head and his arm put in a sling with the addition of the cast. Nirnasha was laid in the bed across from him, without his shirt and cloak and several bandages wrapped around his torso where the wound was.

"I'll live." Loki said.

"Same here." Nirnasha weakly said.

"Good." Sting said. "Your auras will regenerate, but it'll take time. Usually, they'd regenerate as long as you get enough rest, but that's not the case when shattered."

"Looks like it." Loki agreed, before frowning. "Look, about what happened back there…"

"Yeah, about that," Sting nodded before his gritted teeth showed as he raised his voice into a near holler. "What the hell were you thinking, going out on your own like that?! You coulda been killed!"

"Well, in our defense," Nirnasha spoke up. "We didn't know that Adam bloody Taurus was gonna be there."

"Or that Blackburn guy." Loki added, rubbing his arm.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sting let out a sigh.

"Regardless, you shouldn't have snuck out in the first place." The elder Huntsman said. "You never know what kind of crazies you'll run in to."

"We're sorry for worrying you," Nirnasha said. "We were simply trying to figure out what the White Fang is up to."

"And I appreciate you taking the initiative, as I'm sure Ozpin does too." Sting declared. "But we can't be taking unnecessary risks."

"By the way, hate to change the subject," Loki said almost nervously. "But who was that Blackburn guy?"

Sting was silent, breathing out as he ran a hand down his face.

"Judas…was a very complicated person." He said. "He had several mental issues, so he never got along with anyone."

"But how did he know my father and Ruby's mother?" Loki asked. "And why was he after us?"

"That, I'm not allowed to say." Sting said firmly. "That's up to Qrow to tell you." He then looked towards the door. "Speaking of…"

The door swung open and Ruby ran in and practically jumped at Loki with a hug, while the rest of Team RWBY and LNTC entered along with the other adults.

"Loki, I'm so glad that you're okay!" The red-cloaked girl cried. "I was so scared of losing you again!"

"Sorry to scare you like that, Rubes." Loki sighed. "I never meant for that to happen."

"We're just glad that you're still kickin', Trickster." Turoc spoke up.

"Yes, I informed Team Juniper just after we returned." Cenric nodded. "They were quite relieved."

"Nirnasha, I'm so sorry that this happened," Blake said with a sad frown as she approached Nirnasha's bed. "I should've warned you about just how dangerous Adam can be with his Semblance."

"Hey, we all make mistakes, Blake." Nirnasha said in an assuring tone. "Please, do not blame yourself for my mistake."

"He's right, Blake." Weiss nodded as she placed a hand on the cat-Faunus' shoulder. "You cannot shoulder the burden alone."

"Yeah, we're a team." Yang nodded. "We've gotta stick together!"

"Hate to interrupt this touching moment," Sting spoke up. "But we have more pressing matters to deal with."

As Sting said that last part, Corrin and Patrick walked in with a handcuffed Raven, stripped of her mask and sword.

Loki was surprised to see that Raven was still here, certain that she would have escaped at the first opportunity. But seeing Raven still in Beacon custody was quite unexpected.

"I'm not gonna run off." Raven growled. "So you don't have to bother with the handcuffs! It makes me feel like a criminal!"

"Feel like a criminal?" Patrick repeated with a raised brow.

Raven simply looked away with a huff.

"So, with all the sass aside," Sting spoke up in a serious tone. "You kids no doubt have questions…"

Before Loki could even speak, Yang had already beaten him to the punch.

"Yeah, I've got one." She declared before pointing a finger at Raven. "Like who the hell is this woman?! And why was she so interested in Loki?"

The room was silent for a moment; Loki bowed his head with a sad look on his face, while Raven looked away in shame.

"Well, you see, Firecracker," Qrow spoke up, gesturing towards Raven. "This woman is Raven; my sister." He then sighed. "And…your mother."

Tension in the room rose higher, as Yang's eyes widened with pure shock, processing what she had just heard.

"Y-Yang?" Ruby said, worried and scared. "Are you…okay?"

Yang only turned towards Raven, who simply stood with her head lowered in shame, feeling her daughter's hateful eyes on her.

"Are you serious?" Yang said in a growling tone, her eyes glowing a dark red. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" She glared angrily at Raven. "After all this time, after having abandoned me and dad, not once even thinking to see us, and only show up for LOKI of all people?!" She said that last part pointing at Loki. "Why?! Why go for him over your own daughter?!"

The room fell silent, as Raven looked up to Loki, who silently nodded, before the former huntress sighed.

"Well, the truth is…"

And so Raven told the story about how found and took in Loki, trained and cared for him, the promise she made to Loki's father, even the raids of settlements. Once Raven had finished telling the tale, the room once again went silent; Ruby was utterly shocked, Weiss and Blake seemed conflicted, Turoc looked down at the floor with an unsure look on his face, Cenric seemed impassive from having already known, Nirnasha seemed surprised as well and Desmond seemed very shocked by this along with Winter.

But Yang's reaction was the worst; even after having learned the truth, she still seemed angry, and after having learned that Loki knew all along seemed to push her over the edge.

"After all this time," She said as she turned towards the trickster. "You were practically living with her. After all this time, you knew who she was." Her eyes narrowed. "You KNEW, and you kept this from me."

"I kept it hidden for your sake." Loki tried to protest.

"For my sake?!" Yang practically screamed, making Loki flinch. "You knew damn well how long I've been searching for the mother that left me and dad, and you're telling me that keeping her a secret was for my sake?! HOW?!"

"BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO ABANDON RUBY!" Loki finally snapped, taking everyone by surprise, even Yang's anger was replaced by surprise. "I'm damned well aware of how long you've spent searching for Raven, and believe me, I DESPERATELY wanted to tell you EVERYTHING, just to put your anxiety to rest, but then I realized that it would've meant you leaving Ruby, your sister, for someone who never gave one damn about you! Have you ever once thought about how Ruby would feel if her only sibling left her behind? You'd be no better than Raven!"

Yang was completely taken aback by Loki's outburst, processing what he had said. She knew he was right; leaving home to hunt down Raven would mean leaving Ruby, her sister behind, to face the troubles of Vale by herself, leaving her all alone.

"Please, do not take your anger out on Loki." Raven pleaded. "If you want to be angry at someone, let it be me. I'm the one who told him to keep quiet about it."

Yang spun around to face her biological mother, seeing the shame riddled on her face.

"Why?" Yang demanded. "Why did you leave me and dad? And why do you care more for Loki than your own daughter?!"

"You had your father," Raven retorted. "But after Odin died, Loki had no one, so I took it upon myself to look after him; I raised him, fed him, even trained him. After all, I promised his father I would look after him should anything happen." She then looked down at the floor. "As for why I left; it was because of Judas."

"That Blackburn guy we ran into." Ruby remarked. "Who was he anyway?"

Raven looked over at Qrow, who ran a hand down his face.

"Judas…was a very complicated person." He began. "Like Stinger here had said, the guy had _many_ issues; a short temper, cruel, and always pushing others away. Judas was a real handful back when we attended Beacon together."

"So he was a Huntsman?" Blake asked.

"Alongside my Team Stark, Odin's Team Oblivion, and Sting's Team Scorpio were seniors, yeah." Qrow nodded. "Thing is, Judas always kept to himself. Even after initiation, he was without a team of his own."

"Is that allowed?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, but it's pretty rare." Sting nodded. "But Judas showed enough skill and power to prove that he's more than capable of rollin' as a one-man team, so Ozzy allowed it. Hell, the guy even went on to win the Vytal Tournament years back!"

"By himself?!" Yang gasped. "He's that strong?!"

"More powerful than Team Stark and Scorpio combined!" Qrow declared before frowning. "But he was distant, blunt, and always had a short temper. Couldn't stand being in the presence of other people. Even looked at my team with disdain, saying that 'bonds mean nothing' and 'friendships makes you weak', but he seemed jealous of the friendship and comradery my team shared. Of course, we did try to reach out to him, but he always kept his distance, so we considered him a very distant friend." He then sighed. "But out of all of us, Summer was the only one who never gave up on him, always seeing the good in him, even had our whole team stand with him in a picture at graduation."

"My mom really cared." Ruby mused softly.

"Your mother was a very compassionate person, Ruby." Qrow said with a smile. "No matter what someone goes through, she's always wanted to help them." He then sighed. "And for a moment, it was the rare time that Judas ever smiled."

"What changed?" Loki dared to ask.

The room was silent for a moment, before Qrow spoke once again.

"It was a sunny day in Patch." He began. "Back when Ruby was just a baby and Yang was still a rascal. We were having a small reunion, and Judas came upon the house, asking Summer for help." He then frowned. "He said that it was a mission from Ozpin, but I found it suspicious, seeing that he should be more than capable of handling it himself. Odin definitely found it fishy." He then shrugged. "Not to mention we never saw or heard much from him after graduation, like he vanished from the face of Remnant."

"My father?" Loki did a double take.

"Your dad and his team were on good terms with ours, but Odin never trusted Judas." Qrow explained. "He always thought that Judas came off as a problem child with a God complex who looked down on others. Anyways, he came asking Summer for help and she was quick to accept. Odin and I offered to come along as well, but for some reason, Judas was _very_ adamant about it just being Summer. At first, I kinda thought he was gonna try and seduce her, but I figured that that wasn't his style, since he never showed interest in the opposite sex or sex in general." He then sighed. "But after a bit of an argument, Judas reluctantly accepted and we were on our way to the mission sight; a graveyard outside a settlement far off from the city of Vale when it started raining."

"What happened then?" Ruby asked, not liking where this was going.

"It turned out to be a trap." Qrow growled. "Several assassins's leaped out of the graves like the undead! Odin ended up losing an eye in the ambush." He then frowned. "But Summer was low on aura and called out to Judas, who was much closer, then…"

Qrow stopped for a minute, looking as though he were about to cry. Raven patted and rubbed her brothers back in a soothing manner before he continued.

"He…stabbed her in the gut…" He finally said. "Without as much of a flinch."

The room went silent with shock, Ruby gasped as she clasped her hands over her mouth, Loki's eyes were wide with shock, Yang seemed shocked as well, Blake and Weiss were unsure how to respond, while Turoc and Nirnasha were shocked as well. Even Cenric, as stoic as he usually was, was in shock of this revelation.

"Why?" Ruby asked, shaken and in shocked confusion. "Wasn't mom his friend?!"

"I'm not sure, even to this day," Qrow shook his head. "When I confronted him a year later, he claimed it was to prove a point; that those who rely on teammates and friends are weak and can never be strong enough on their own."

"Bullshit!" Yang yelled in anger as she slammed her fist against a table. "Just because he can pull things off on his own, he thought he could sink so low because of that bullshit?!"

"Trust me, I was angry too, Firecracker." Qrow nodded. "During the attack, Odin took off Judas' arm and we were able to escape." He hung his head low. "But Summer…died in my arms. I had promised to look after you two."

"Did you go after him?" Ruby asked.

"I did." Qrow nodded. "I fought him with everything I had, but even while I was putting everything into my Bad Luck Charm, he was far more skilled and much stronger than I was, and I came close to ending up dead several times," He then sighed. "But in the end, I managed to sever his legs and left him to burn alive." He looked out the window. "I swear, I thought he was dead for sure that day, that he would just bleed out, but instead he's back, with cybernetic legs and out for revenge."

"But why was he after me and Ruby?" Loki asked. "He said he wanted to wipe out our bloodlines."

"No doubt a way of getting back at your folks, kid." Qrow said. "Your dad was the one that took Judas' arm off. And Summer…I assume he just wants to be rid of any memory of her."

Ruby shivered at those words, while Loki wrapped his arm around her in an attempt to comfort her.

"Now he's alive and out for revenge." Qrow said, looking out the window. "And no doubt plotting something."

* * *

In a far off land, Judas Blackburn walked through the valley of ashes, walking towards an unknown destination. After being dropped off by Torchwick, Judas immediately began his long trek through the ashes and bones towards somewhere only he and a few others of his closed yet distant circle would know.

After trekking for what felt like hours, he came upon the sight of a massive, tall castle built out of rock and purple crystals, the castle itself seems to be situated on a tall mound.

After taking a moment to take in the sight, Judas walked down the hill he stood upon, slowly making his way towards the castle. After failing to eliminate the offspring of his former 'friends', all he wanted was to be left alone. He had no desire to spar with the madman, nor talk with the burly man, nor have the scientist tinker with his cybernetics.

All he wanted now was solitude.

"Welcome back, brother."

Stopping at the gates, he looked up to see Hazel Rainart, a tall and muscular middle-aged man, towering over even Adam Taurus who stood 6'4". He had short brown hair, a beard, and hazel eyes. He wore a two-tone olive green coat over a black 3/4 sleeve shirt, and a large belt. His pants were black, with a pouch strapped to each pants leg, and his boots were brown with white fronts. His hairy arms had some scars near the edges of his sleeves.

The two stared at one another intensely for a moment, before Hazel spoke again.

"It is good that you returned in one peace, Judas." The taller man said. "Well, mostly. I hope your trip from Vale had no issues."

Judas remained silent, simply standing there in silence.

"I understand that you wish to be left alone," Hazel went on with a frown. "But the Mistress wishes to see you at once."

Judas only sighed in response.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, my friend." Hazel said, before turning away. "But it would be wise to not keep her waiting."

After Hazel left, Judas could only sigh at the thought of meeting with the one he serves. He could never forget the night he had met the Grim Queen, how she offered him something beyond just acceptance and acknowledgment for his achievements. She offered him things beyond his own desires.

And yet, even after that, he preferred to remain in isolation, to not be bothered by his new master.

With a deep sigh, Judas entered the threshold and walked down the dimly lit hallways of the castle, taking his time walking, before eventually arriving at the large set of doors that led to the castle's throne room.

"Well, look who it is!"

Looking over, he saw none other than Tyrian Callows, the madman scorpion-Faunus and the most devoted follower of the mistress, leaning against the door. The insane man was pale with gold eyes and a brown ponytail braided to resemble a scorpion's tail. He wore a white sleeveless jacket with leather belts strapped to it, along with white pants. His jacket was left open, exposing his bare chest, which is crisscrossed with prominent scars. His arms were covered with purple bandages and leather vambraces. He also wore leather boots covering his entire shin with knee guards. On each earlobe is a silver, ring-shaped earring, and near the top of his left ear was another matching earring.

The scorpion-Faunus simply gave Judas his usual maniacal smile.

"It seems our favorite Silver-Eyed Traitor has returned from his trip." The madman said with a mad grin. "Had fun killing, I hope?"

"Have you nothing better to do, Madman?" Judas said in an annoyed tone.

"I'm simply letting you know that our Goddess demands your presence." Tyrian defended with a sinister chuckle, gesturing towards the doors. "Best hurry; wouldn't want to keep our Goddess waiting."

And so the scorpion-Faunus left, leaving Judas to stand there, watching as Tyrian leaves before turning back to the massive double doors, then pushed them open and entered after a bit of rare hesitation that he would rarely show. Upon entering the dimly lit throne room, he looked up to see his master, Salem, sitting upon a throne.

"Welcome home, Judas." Salem said in a deathly tone, her dark eyes gazing upon him.

Judas said nothing, only approached and got down on his knees before the feet of the throne.

"I was wondering where you had gone, my child." The Dark Queen hissed. "Would you be so kind as to tell me where?"

Once again, Judas remained silent, refusing to answer.

"No need, for I already know where you went," Salem said as she stood from her throne, then stood before him. "You were off on your little 'crusade', weren't you?"

Judas again remained silent, as Salem leaned forward, her cold, hot breath against his ear.

"Your disobedience knows no bounds." She said in a dark tone. "I keep telling you, time and time again, to remain here unless I tell you otherwise."

Judas only gripped his knees in response.

"I understand that you are eager to severe the bloodlines of Summer and Odin, but you must remain patient." Salem scolded as she stood back straight. "We must wait until the time is right for us to make our move. Then, on that day, I assure you; you will have your vengeance."

Judas lowered his head a bit, clearly disappointed.

"Although," Salem then went on. "I would greatly appreciate the idea of you bringing Summer's daughter alive."

Judas looked up at her sharply, before growling. "Am I not enough for you?"

"Think about it like this," The Dark Queen went on. "Wouldn't it be the perfect revenge to corrupt the little Rose and turn her against everything that her mother swore to protect?" She then let out a dark chuckle. "Do whatever you wish with the Artashir boy, but keep the Rose girl alive." She then turned back to her throne before waving him off. "You may go."

Getting up, Judas left the room, the double doors slamming shut behind him. He then clenched his fists in anger.

"Soon, they will suffer." He seethed. "Just as I have suffered."

* * *

 **And here's the newest chapter! I was planning on adding more, but I decided to save that for the next chapter. Also, I figured I'd do a story where we'd explore the past of Team SCPO later on, so be looking forward to that!**

 **Anyways, until then, hope you enjoyed! Be sure to review!**


	15. Pulling Things Together

Team LNTC

Chapter Fifteen: Volume Two

Pulling Things Together

While Loki and Nirnasha were recovering, Raven stood in the headmaster's office with SCPO at her back and Ozpin standing before her, having been brought to Ozpin after their talks with the teen Huntsmen and Huntress' had concluded.

"It's been quite a long time since we last spoke like this, Raven." Ozpin remarked.

"Indeed." Raven agreed.

"Well, best we not beat around the bush." Ozpin said, his expression getting serious. "You've done many terrible things over the previous years; abandoning your team, raiding settlements and leaving them at the hands of the Grimm, even going so far as to slay many Huntsmen that were defending those settlements." He narrowed his eyes at the former Huntress. "What do you have to say for your actions?"

Raven was completely unsure of how to respond. To be perfectly honest, Raven only surrendered herself to the headmaster's custody for Loki's sake and the sake of her brother. She never really gave this confrontation much thought, believing that it would never come. But now? Now that she was once again face to face with the very man whose cause she had abandoned? She was terrified.

Even still, she tried to put on a brave face.

"I…I was looking after my tribe," She tried to defend. "I was trying to ensure our survival as the leader of my people."

"Don't you think that could have been possible without preying on those smaller than you?" Ozpin asked in a stern tone. "Or is that the only justification for the atrocities you've committed?"

"Don't try to judge me, Ozpin." Raven sneered. "You're the one throwing the young to their deaths against Salem!"

"And what would you have me do, Raven?" Ozpin questioned. "Just sit by and let Salem burn the whole world to ash? Along with Qrow, Tai, Yang and Loki?"

Raven could only look away at the mention of the people mentioned. Tai? As much as she hated to admit it, she still held some affection for her former teammate. Qrow? Of course she would do anything to make sure her twin didn't get himself killed. Yang? After how she had left them, Raven felt the guilt building up again, even more so after Yang's outburst. Loki? She would most definitely do whatever it takes to make sure he was safe from Salem.

"Still, I am curious," Ozpin mused, resting his chin on his hands. "Why show more concern for Loki than your own daughter?"

"I promised Odin that I would," Raven shrugged, uncaring. "Besides, Yang had Tai. And when Odin died, Loki had no one."

"Is that truly the only reason?" Ozpin asked with a raised brow. "Or could this be from the…old feelings you had for his father?"

Raven snapped her head up at the old headmaster, her eyes glaring daggers at him.

"Don't you dare mention that." She snarled vehemently.

"And why not?" Ozpin asked with a raised brow. "It was no secret how…close you two were. Is it really so bad to speak of the past?"

"My past relationships are none of your damn business, old man!" Raven snarled.

"So it's okay for you to talk like I'm the one fighting without cause," Ozpin said with a frown. "But when I point out the wrong in _your_ actions, you try to justify it."

"What I do is for the safety of my tribe!" Raven snapped.

"Such as raiding settlements of innocent people who can't defend themselves?" Ozpin pointed out. "And before you try to use your 'the strong survive and the weak die' excuse, these were villagers who were simply living normal lives, with defenses to keep the Grimm at bay. If you were as strong as you claim to be, then why not go after the other bandit tribes? Why not go after them, rather than innocent villagers who could barely defend themselves against the Grimm?"

Raven simply hung her head, unable to think up a reply.

"Tell me, Raven," Ozpin began again, hoping to change the subject. "Why did you flee the way you did? Had you come to me about pulling out, I would have allowed you to leave, if it was that bad."

"Would you?" Raven looked back up at him with a raised brow. "You and I both know that you're willing to sacrifice anyone if it meant getting one up on Salem, especially your own students!"

"Are you really so certain of that?" Ozpin frowned.

"We both know it's true." Raven smirked smugly. "You're just using them for your own ends; just like you did with Odin and Summer. Just like you're doing with my brother, like you almost did me!"

There was silence, as Ozpin rose from his desk and stood before her, a stern yet glaring look on his face, which intimidated Raven somewhat. If there was one thing Raven learned from her time in Beacon, it was to never underestimate the wrath of an elder man.

Especially if that elder man was named Ozpin.

"So you would rather hide in hopes that Salem doesn't find you while burning all of Remnant to the ground?" Ozpin asked in a dark tone. "That I should leave all of Remnant to be swallowed by a sea of Grimm, for all life to be wiped out? For all of mankind to be at Salem's mercy?" He then shook his head. "I must say I'm disappointed in you, Raven. You are no doubt the biggest hypocrite I've ever met."

"So what will you do with me then?" Raven challenged.

"I should have you imprisoned." Ozpin said, looking out the window. "Given the crimes you've committed, it is my duty to see you turned over to the authorities." He then sighed. "But that would be a waste of my time, and your talents."

"What? You expect me to be your tool again?" Raven scoffed.

"I prefer the term ally." Ozpin said. "If anything, this can be considered your probation for the crimes you've committed."

"Of eventually dying against an enemy that can't die?" Raven growled.

"What if I were to tell you that there was more to Salem than you think?" Ozpin asked.

Raven raised a brow at this, allowing the elder man to continue.

"From the many years I've spent fighting Salem, I've discovered several things." Ozpin explained. "She has lived a very long time, perhaps even longer, not because she is immortal, but because she has multiple Semblances."

"Impossible!" Raven gasped.

"For you, perhaps, but for Salem, there is a way." Ozpin said. "She has some Semblances that can increase her vitality, and as a result, increase her lifespan. From my experience, she has been taking on multiple Semblances and manipulating the Grimm to make people think that she is a divine being." He then smirked. "But I have something that can cripple her power."

"Then she can actually be killed?" Raven asked.

"That is my hope, yes." Ozpin nodded. "I have a theory on how she can be defeated, but I require your cooperation." He gave her a serious look. "This is the best I can offer; join us in our fight once again. If not for me or even your own daughter, then at least for Summer, Qrow, Odin, and Loki. It's what they would want."

Raven wanted so badly to simply tell the old man to piss off, that she would rather rot in jail. But she frowned at the realization of her tribe being without her; it would fall apart! And Loki? She promised Odin that she would look after him, obviously, and there was no way she trusts Ozpin to not drag Loki into his war. Still, she felt that it's what Summer would do; fight evil to the bitter end. Not to mention she would go through Hell for her brother as well.

Her mind made up, Raven looked up at the elder man with a serious expression.

"I have several conditions."

"Go ahead." Ozpin gestured with a hand, before sitting back at his desk.

"I want full communications with my tribe." Raven said sternly.

"Understandable." Ozpin nodded. "Given the proper supervision, that can be arranged."

"I also want you to tell me everything." Raven stated. "About Salem, her minions, any weakness we can exploit."

"Done." Ozpin nodded. "Anything else?"

After a moment of thought, Raven nodded.

"One more thing." She said. "That you leave Loki out of this. I don't care how you use me, but leave Loki out of your war."

"Only Loki?" Ozpin raised a brow.

Raven only looked away, unsure if she should include Yang.

"How about this," Ozpin said. "When the time comes, I will present Mr. Greene the choice. Should he choose to remain uninvolved with the fight against Salem, then that will be it. I will not pressure him into changing his mind whatsoever." He then frowned. "But should he choose to get involved, then you must accept that. It's only fair."

Raven glared at the old man, but then sighed in defeat.

"I accept."

"Then consider your conditions met." Ozpin said with a smile, before turning his gaze to Sting. "Sting?"

Nodding, Sting walked up and undid the handcuffs, allowing Raven to rub her wrists a bit.

"So, how soon do you want me to start?" Raven asked casually.

"In due time." Ozpin said. "For now, it's best that we get you caught up…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Loki sat on a bench in the school ground courtyard; his head hung low in guilt. After about a week of bed rest, Loki and Nirnasha managed to heal from their injuries, but over the next two weeks, Yang had been avoiding him like the plague, not willing to talk to him after the revelation of him being raised by Raven, despite his best attempts to talk to her, Yang had either refused to reply or downright threatened him with violence. Since then, Loki's behavior had changed drastically; he hadn't pulled any pranks lately, which made his friends become concerned.

Loki could only sigh, his heart heavy with guilt.

"Hey, Loki?"

He looked up to see Ruby standing before him, a concerned look on her face.

"Hey, Ruby." Loki smiled weakly. "How're you doin'?"

"I should be asking you that." Ruby replied. "Are you okay?"

Looking down a bit, Loki sighed.

"Yang's really angry at me." He said in a sad tone, as he looked back at her. "Aren't you angry at me too?"

"No, just confused." Ruby shook her head. "Why didn't you come to us? We could've taken you in."

"Believe me that was the first thing I wanted to do." Loki defended. "But then Raven told me that the Man on Fire would find me and finish the job. I was scared of putting you guys in danger."

"What about that thing of not telling Yang about her mom?" Ruby asked.

"Like I said, I wanted to tell Yang about Raven." Loki said. "But I knew that she would ask all sorts of questions, about the raids I had participated in, about everything. I was scared of losing her as a friend." He then sighed. "Plus, I was afraid of her leaving you behind, all alone."

"Yang would never do that!" Ruby protested. "Sure, she wanted to find the mother that left her, but she'd never leave me like that."

"I'm sorry, but I didn't want to take that risk." Loki said. "I didn't want her to leave the sister that depends on her."

Ruby was silent for a moment, thinking about what she was told. She understands why Loki feels the way he does; he's worried that Yang will end up like Raven and leaving her behind.

"Loki, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions." Ruby said. "I understand that your heart was in the right place and you had Yang's best interests at heart, but you still hid the one thing she was so eager to find. I know you were just trying to protect her, and me, but you should've at least told her who her mom is."

"I know, Ruby." Loki sighed. "I just wanted to protect her."

"And I understand that." Ruby said with a hand on Loki's shoulder. "But you need to be honest with her. If you don't, then why should your own teammates trust you?"

Thinking it over, Loki realized that there were merits to Ruby's words; he had Yang's best interests at hearts and he didn't want Ruby to be left alone, but he still could've at least told her the truth about her mother and how he was raised by Raven.

"I suppose I could've told her some bits about Raven." He sighed. "I just want to talk to her."

"We can do that." Ruby assured. "Just give her some time to cool off and then we can work things out."

"Thanks, Ruby," Loki smiled at her. "I really needed this."

"Anytime, Loki." Ruby smiled back.

The two hugged in a long, blissful minute before parting and heading back inside.

* * *

Yang was in the training room, furiously pounding away at the punching bag. She needed something to calm her down, to take her anger out, and Loki certainly wasn't making things better by trying to talk to her, especially since she was this angry at him.

She couldn't believe that after the many months they had spent together since he came back, the childhood they had as best friends; Loki lied to her. He lied to Ruby. He lied to them both and kept the fact that he was raised by her mother a secret.

She felt so betrayed.

"So, you like to run through punching bags too?"

Stopping her assault, she quickly looked to see Cenric standing at the door, wearing his casual clothes.

"What're you doing here?" She said through gritted teeth and with narrowed eyes.

"Just thought I'd check on you, make sure you were okay." Cenric said before gesturing towards a pile of ruined punching bags. "And from the pile of busted punching bags, I'd assume you're not."

"Obviously." Yang said with a roll of her eyes. "How would you feel if your best friend had hidden something from you that you've spent years looking for?!"

"Pretty badly, to be honest." Cenric shrugged. "Although I'm not surprised."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yang asked.

"He told me about Raven." Cenric said with crossed arms. "I saw him sneak out the night before we began our investigation. I was curious and the next thing I knew, I saw him talking to Raven in the courtyard."

"You knew too?" Yang said in disbelief. "And you didn't think to tell me?!"

"Because it wasn't my secret to tell." Cenric said sternly. "If he wanted to tell you, it would be of his own volition."

There was a moment of silence between them, before Yang hung her head with eyes closed, then she walked over to a bench and sat down.

"I trusted him." She finally said, her voice shaky. "I saw him as a good friend, someone I trusted to be around Ruby." She clenched her fists. "After what happened with Uncle Odin, I had hoped, prayed that Loki was okay, that he was alive." She shook her head. "But to find out that he was raised by the mother that abandoned me and dad. And that he kept it from me this whole time!" Tears started streaming down her face. "I just can't believe he betrayed me like this!"

As Yang sobbed, Cenric looked away, unsure on how he should approach this. He no doubt understood how Yang felt, feeling betrayed by her best friend, like how betrayed Cenric felt with his strained relationship with Pyrrha. But then he remembered his own talk with the Trickster, about why he left the tribe to become a Huntsman, to help people.

Coming to an idea, he stepped to the left side of Yang and sat down next to her before proceeding to rub her back.

"Tell me something, Yang," Cenric began. "Do you think Loki wanted to hurt you?"

Her sobbing subsiding, Yang looked at the Spartan with bloodshot eyes.

"I assure you, he never meant to betray your trust." Cenric said. "He was only trying to look after you. He didn't want his secret to change anything between you two."

"I want to believe that, Cenric; I really do." Yang said with a sigh. "But after all the years I spent looking for the mother that left me and dad behind, only to find out that my best friend not only knew about her, but was also living with her, I can't help but feel betrayed."

"And I understand that." Cenric said. "But Loki left the tribe to be a better person, to be reunited with you and Ruby again, to be a better person." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Won't you at least try to talk things out with him? He really wants to talk things out and you pushing him away isn't helping things. He's really depressed over it."

Thinking it over, Yang wanted to believe that Cenric was telling the truth, but she still held some level of anger towards Loki for keeping Raven a secret from her. But at the same time, she does want to talk things out with Loki, and understand things from his perspective.

"I…will think about it." Yang said as she looked up at Cenric. "It will take time."

"That's all I ask." Cenric nodded, before chuckling. "This feels very nostalgic."

"How so?" Yang asked.

"Remember back when me and the others first arrived at Beacon and we couldn't get along?" Cenric said, earning a nod from the blonde. "I was running through punching bags, desperate to vent out my frustrations, then you came along and helped. When we first met, you helped me come to terms with Loki being leader and helped me with my problems with Pyrrha. And now I'm doing the same for you."

"That does seem nostalgic." Yang agreed with a chuckle before smiling. "Thanks again for talking to me."

"Just returning the favor." Cenric shrugged. "So, you'll talk things out with Loki?"

"Once I cool off, sure." Yang nodded. "And thanks for the talk."

The two stood up and hugged, but as they broke the hug, Yang leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek, surprising the Spartan, then backed away with a sultry grin.

"Consider that your reward for being here." She said before winking. "Well, see ya later!"

And with that, the blonde brawler left, leaving the Spartan blushing a deep red as he rubbed the cheek that was kissed, before breaking into a small smile.

* * *

Mercury walked out of the school gym, his body and clothes drenched with sweat, as he wiped his face with a towel.

"Man, nothing like a good workout!" He mused loudly.

As he walked down the halls, however, he came to a stop, his body tensing a bit, feeling as though he was being watched.

"You can quit hiding." He called out. "I've trained long enough to be aware of my surroundings."

After a few seconds, he saw none other than Marcus Azul emerge from the shadows, wearing his combat gear and mask and his sword at his hip.

"Ah, it's you again. Long time no see." Mercury said before sizing the masked boy up. "And from the way you're dressed, I'd assume you were going to ambush me."

"I was busy with a mission exterminating Grimm with my team." Marcus shrugged. "Besides, I have a question of my own for you."

"Oh really?" Mercury said with a smirk. "Tired of being interrogated Little Boy Blue?"

"Joke all you want," Marcus scoffed. "But this is serious."

"I'll be the judge of that." Mercury declared. "So, what's your question?"

"Why are you here?" Marcus asked in an almost demanding tone. "Given your profession as an assassin, I didn't think becoming a Huntsman was one of your goals."

Mercury's eyes went wide at this, fearing that this boy may not only know about his past, but also about his cover as a student.

"How do you know about that?" He demanded. "Did that Loki kid put you up to this?!"

"Loki has nothing to do with this." Marcus assured. "As for how I know…let's just say I have my ways of finding out about people."

Mercury seemed unsure, thinking that the masked boy was looking to dig up dirt on him and expose him.

"Well, maybe I just wanted to change things up." He shrugged with his lie. "Maybe I wanted to take out some Grimm and make things easier."

Marcus simply looked at him, his expression unreadable under the mask before he said, "A likely story."

"What, you don't believe me?" Mercury said.

"I can tell when you're lying." Marcus bluntly said. "There's an ulterior motive for you being here and it's obviously not because you want to 'make things better'."

"What does it matter why I'm here?" Marcus frowned in annoyance. "I'm here to become a Huntsman and that's all that matters! Why do you care anyway?"

There was a tense silence between the two, then Marcus stood at Mercury's side before speaking.

"Everyone has their reasons for becoming a Huntsman." He said. "Fame, fortune, power. I joined because I seek to ensure that no one else fall victim because of the Grimm." He then looked over at Mercury, no doubt looking dead in his eyes. "And then I came across you. You don't know me, but I know all about you and your past, the crimes your father committed and even how you killed him."

Mercury was sweating bullets at this point. How could someone he's never met before know this much about him?!

"If you're worried about me ratting you out, fear not." Marcus said before turning his head back down the hall. "But soon enough, you'll know the truth about me, as you take a fall."

And with that, Marcus simply walked off, leaving Mercury sweating nervously.

"Just who the hell is this guy?" He said silently.

* * *

The next day, Loki sat at the same bench, looking up at the school statue, which featured two figures, one a male and the other a younger-looking female, standing on a rock outcropping. They are both dressed in a robe with hoods over their heads. The male has a sword in his right hand, raised in a seemingly triumphant gesture. The younger female has a double-edged battle-ax in her left hand and looks off to the side into the distance. Below the two figures is a Beowolf looking in the same direction as the male figure.

"Hey, Loki."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Loki looked up to see Yang approach, before standing before him.

"Hey, Yang." Loki said, almost nervously. "Not much going on?"

"Not really, no." Yang said before sitting down next to him.

The two sat in silence for several seconds, before Loki spoke up.

"Yang, I'm sorry I kept things about Raven from you." He said with a sigh. "I was just afraid of you leaving Ruby behind. But I can see now that that isn't something you would do."

"I understand that now." Yang nodded. "You were just looking out for me and Ruby. I still didn't like that you lied, but I understand why you did it." She looked up at the statue. "For the longest time, I've been searching for the mother that left me and Dad behind."

"And how do you feel about it now?" Loki asked.

"I don't know, honestly." Yang shrugged. "I was hoping to find answers as to why she left. But I had some expectation of her being a cold-hearted bitch." She then frowned. "But seeing her so…guilt ridden? That was unexpected." She looked over to Loki. "And after hearing that you were living with her? That was an even bigger surprise!"

"Again, I'm sorry for keeping this from you." Loki apologized once again. "I was just afraid of how you would feel about being friends with a bandit."

"Come on, you're Loki Greene! I could never hate you, as much as you drive me crazy!" Yang said with a smirk. "Besides, you make Ruby smile even on the worst of days! I could never not want to be friends with you again!" Her expression softened. "And besides, as far as I'm concerned, you're a former bandit. You left that life to be with us and become a Huntsman."

"I hated that life." Loki admitted. "I didn't like the things I was being a part of, the monster I was becoming. I hated the way things were."

"And you came back to be a better person." Yang said, remembering Cenric's words. "I'm glad you did."

"Truce?" Loki asked.

"Gladly." Yang smiled.

The two embraced in a tight hug for several seconds before breaking it.

"So, what now?" Loki asked.

"Now, I'm gonna see about having a word with my 'mom'." Yang declared as she stood up. "She owes me some answers."

"I'll go with you." Loki said as he stood up. "It might go over more smoothly if I'm there."

"Thanks." Yang said.

And so the two walked back inside, both unaware of the signs they placed on each other's back.

The sign on Loki's back said 'Kick my ass for ten lien'.

The sign on Yang's back said 'Smack my ass for fifty lien'.

* * *

 **Yang might have gotten her revenge later on for Loki's pranks, but Loki is the best troll of them all.**

 **So, we see a nice heart to heart with the Loki and Yang AND stuff going on between Raven and Ozpin. We also see Marcus make a return. I've been meaning to give my other OC's sometime in the spotlight, to flesh them out some, so I hope I'm doing an okay job.**

 **Once again, I apologize for the super late chapter. I've recently been called back in to my fulltime job, so I've been left exhausted again and pass out almost immediately when I get home. But don't worry, I'm gonna do my best to upload more, despite my busy schedule.**

 **Anyways, hope you guys appreciate the new chapter! Be sure to review!**


	16. Some New Arrivals

Team LNTC

Chapter Sixteen: Volume Two

Some New Arrivals

An Atlesian airship landed at the Beacon Academy landing pad, the hanger bay doors opening up to allow various students to step out. A set of four students in Atlas Academy uniform stepped out, taking in the Valean sun.

One of the boys, the leader, Boris Nevada, was tall and imposing, with tanned skin and dark blue eyes with black hair tied in a ponytail that reached his shoulders.

"Well, we have arrived, boys." He declared. "And I must admit, it's a nice change of pace from the usual winter of Atlas."

His brother, Kennard Nevada, was a buff young man, his hair was black like his brother, but his hair was shorter and he had violet eyes.

"I agree, Brother." He nodded. "I can see why our cousin preferred coming here."

The next two members of their team were taking in their surroundings; one was looking about with a massive grin on his face, while the other simply looked on with an impassive expression. The excited one, Herber Aouli, had short, light brown hair that was combed back and styled in a tuft, and had gray eyes. The more serious one, Sunil Agni, had dark brown hair that was spiked, and had light blue eyes.

"Vale sure does have its perks." Herber declared with a smirk. "I bet there are plenty of fine ladies in this region!" He looked over to Sunil. "Wouldn't you agree, Cousin?"

"I hope I don't need to remind you that we're here for the Vytal Tournament," Sunil said in a serious tone. "We're not here to drool over airheaded gold-diggers."

"Come on, Cousin, not all women are like that!" Herber frowned at his cousin. "Sure, there are a few bad apples, but some of them are sweet like cherries!"

"While I do agree with that statement, Herber, Sunil has a valid point." Kennard declared. "We are here as representatives to Atlas Academy and bring honor to our home region in the Vytal Tournament."

"Let's not argue over something so trivial," Boris said as he turned to his teammates. "Sunil, why don't you and Herber head inside and find our room? Kennard and I will handle our family reunion."

"Of course, sir." Sunil nodded.

"You got it, Boss!" Herber gave a thumbs up before he and his cousin departed.

"Come, Kennard." Boris gestured. "Let's see if we can find our cousin!"

* * *

Not too far away, another airship landed, this one from Mistral and the first to step out was a tall, intimidating young man with a built figure with black hair that reached his hip held in a ponytail with a long red ribbon and he had dark red eyes. He wore a pair of black jeans with red linings and a sleeveless red shirt with red military-type boots.

Anvar Cethin looked about his new surroundings and let out a sigh.

"So, this is Vale," He said in an unimpressed tone. "I still don't understand why Pyrrha would rather attend a school in such a place."

"My, such vibrant colors!"

Anvar was shoved to the side as a young woman rushed past him, before she stepped out onto the landing pad, looking about her surroundings with an exciting look. She was a head taller than Anvar, had long black hair put up in a high ponytail held with a dark purple ribbon, a pair of dark purple eyes with slit pupils and had a thin yet impressive hourglass figure, wearing a purple skintight one-piece suit that hugged her form, along with a pair of baggy black pants tied at the ankles and a pair of black tabi boots. She also had a panther tail, swishing about excitedly.

"The city looks absolutely gorgeous!" She declared with twinkles in her eyes. "The bright, vibrant colors, the various wonderful fashions of the people, and most of all, the amazing atmosphere! Vale is truly a country to behold!"

Straightening himself up, Anvar dusted himself off and was about to tell off his exuberant teammate, but someone else had already beaten him to it.

"Rhys, you need to control your excitement." Another young man said. "You're bound to hurt someone with that kind of energy."

Rhys Rainbow Razzmatazz turned to see her other two teammates emerge from the airship.

One of them was Zelophehad Xiuhcoatl. While he was only a head shorter than Anvar, he was still tall and gave off an intimidating presence; his long black hair pulled back into a low knotted ponytail and had turquoise eyes. He wore a loose muscle shirt and a pair of light blue jeans and a pair of dark blue shoes.

The one beside him was Ellen Blossom. She stood a head shorter than Zelophehad, making her shorter than her teammates, wearing a pink and light violet dress with pink cherry blossom patterns, a pair of black shorts that hugged her form, and a pair of pink high heeled shoes. Her long, brown hair reached her waist and she had beautiful green eyes. She was well known for being a very beautiful young woman in all of Mistral, right behind Pyrrha.

"My apologies, but I simply can't control myself," Rhys said. "I lose myself in the beauty of the cultures and the fashions of the other kingdoms! They're just so dazzling!"

"Doesn't mean that you must run down everything in your path," Ellen said with hands on her waist. "Honestly, you're going to end up hurting someone with such recklessness."

Rhys frowned as she rubbed her arm, "My apologies."

"Just don't let it happen again," Anvar said sternly. "Now, let's have a look around."

With a nod, Rhys happily skipped ahead, with her teammates following behind.

'And if Pyrrha is here,' Anvar thought to himself bitterly. 'Then her rotten brother somehow wormed his way here as well.'

* * *

Meanwhile, another airship landed, allowing several teams of students to step out onto the landing pad. One of the students that stepped forward, wearing a pair of red shorts, a brown shirt with a flame design, and a pair of red and white sneakers. He had long, brown hair tied in a long braid and had brown eyes with slit pupils and had an athletic figure and a brown monkey tail wrapped around his waist.

Looking around, Saraf Alger let out a happy sigh, before looking back at the airship.

"Let's go, guys!" He called. "We're finally here!"

His other companions emerged from the airship. The first one, Rhonwen Kenna, was a young woman with a slim figure, had short brown hair and green eyes. She wore a red tank top that showed off her stomach, a pair of red and black shorts, and a pair of black shoes.

The second one, Flint Fino, was as tall as Saraf, his long brown, spikey hair reaching his waist was held up in a ponytail, had dark red eyes, and wore a set of red and black robes and a set of tabi boots.

The last one, Edan Poloma, was tanned and athletically built, wearing a necklace of bells around his neck and various tattoos around his torso, had spikey, dirty white hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a pair of white, baggy pants, a pair of tabi boots and no shirt, showing off his muscles and torso.

"So, this is Vale," Flint remarked, looking about his surroundings. "I was wondering when the headmaster would let us come to a different country."

"Man, the place looks radical as fuck!" Edan declared with a grin. "I can't wait to check out some of the famous hotspots!"

"We can do that after we get settled in," Rhonwen said.

"And settle in we shall!" Saraf agreed with a smile. "Come on! Time to find our room! Then after that, we go look for my baby cousin!"

* * *

The final airship, no doubt coming in from Vacuo, allowed the students to step off, some of the students were none other than Team NDGO and Team BRNZ.

Another such student stepped from the airship, tall and tan-skinned, black hair put up in a ponytail, his emerald-colored eyes looking about his surroundings and he wore a set of green and white robes with a pair of white sandals.

Hunter Aither sighed happily at the sight of his new surroundings, "Vale certainly lives up to its reputation."

One of his companions emerged from the airship, this one being a head taller than Hunter, having neatly brushed black hair, golden eyes and light skin and wore a set of robes that seemed to match Hunters.

"I'm glad we made it." Drake Forrest declared. "I've heard many things about this country and I've been looking forward to visiting."

Another student stepped down, wearing a pair of beige shorts and sandals, a green and black shirt and a bottle of what seemed to be alcohol clenched in a fist. He had tanned skin, messy black hair that spiked up, a pair of blue eyes, and was shorter than his companions and a chubby yet built frame.

"Hopefully they have good liquor here!" Oran Meade declared before taking a sip of his drink. "Maybe something better than the kind back home!"

Their final companion stepped out, her being a tall, beautiful, dark-skinned woman with a toned muscle hourglass figure and towered over her teammates, a green and white tunic that showed off her well-toned thunder thighs, black leg-wraps around her calves and wore a pair of black sandals and bandage wraps. She had slitted black eyes that matched her beautiful, long hair that reached her waist. She also had a tiger's tail that swished as she walked.

"I look forward to the fighters in the tournament." Jade Adira declared. "I wonder if my rival from Atlas will be participating."

"Given the history between you two, I'm certain he'll show up." Forrest said.

"Well, let's waste no more time!" Hunter declared. "Let's head to our guest dorm and get situated!"

* * *

After their talk, Loki and Yang were on their way to Ozpin's office to see Raven, but instead they ran into Sting and the rest of Team SCPO. After explaining that they needed to see Raven, Sting said that she was sent out on a mission, so they needed to wait until she returned. The two were confused at first, but Sting managed to explain to them that things were settled between Raven and Ozpin, at least for now. He then directed them to the ballroom, where Team CFVY was supposed to be handling decorations, but can't due to a mission running longer than expected.

So, those responsibilities fell upon RWBY and LNTC, as part of their punishment…

* * *

In the ballroom, both teams were moving stuff around, hanging up decorations and setting up tables, with Teams JNPR and SSSN helping out, while Patrick and Corrin watching over them.

"You know, you guys didn't have to help." Blake pointed out. "This punishment is meant for us and Lunatic, after all."

"Hey, we're fine with it," Sun replied with a grin. "Besides, it didn't feel right letting you guys do all the work."

"Yeah, it's only fair that we help out." Jaune agreed.

"Well, it's nice of you to do so." Ruby smiled.

"Glad we can help out!" Nora declared loudly.

"Still, it's inconceivable that this got shifted onto us," Nirnasha complained.

"You keep using that word, Nirnasha." Loki said to the necromancer. "I don't think it means what you think it means."

"Regardless, this was the best punishment we could get," Weiss interjected. "Besides, this is our chance to truly make the dance something to remember!"

"Thinking of going big, Snow Angel?" Turoc teased with a smirk.

"Less talking and more working." Patrick declared with arms crossed.

"You could help, ya know," Loki called back.

"If we did that, then it wouldn't be much of a punishment for you, now would it?" Corrin smirked.

After several hours, it looked like the four teams made some progress; the many tables were set up and had coverings on top, there was more than enough space for a dance floor, at the end of the ballroom was the stage where the DJ station was at and several long tables were set up for the food and drinks.

After most of the preparations were complete, the lot decided to take a break, sitting at a picnic table outside, while JNPR and most of SSSN went off to get more supplies for the preparations, leaving Sun and Neptune with the rest of the gang.

"I must say, you've made pretty good progress," Patrick admitted after a swig of his drink. "I've no doubt that we'll be done before tomorrow."

"Here's hopin'." Turoc chuckled, before noticing Blake reading a book. "Hey, whatcha reading there, Shadow Cat?"

"A story about Nyx the Battle Cat." The cat-Faunus declared, showing the cover of the book. "It's called Nyx and the Three Thousand."

"The war for Faunus independence?" Turoc lit up with a grin. "That's actually my favorite story! Especially since it's based on a true story!"

"A story about a young girl that was born into slavery before breaking free of her captivity." Blake declared with a passion. "She raised an army and founded Menagerie, becoming the country's first queen. She later led the three thousand Battle Cats into war against the human tyrant, Argo. In the end, she was killed in battle and her son killed the tyrant in return."

"Sounds like one hell of a tale," Sun remarked. "Still, it sounds awesome!"

"I'm glad you think so, Sun," Blake said with a smile. "Perhaps one day, I'll read it to you, if you're interested."

"Sounds like someone's asking for a date. ~" Yang teased before receiving an elbow to the ribs from Blake.

"This was actually one of the first books Patrick read to me when I was young," Blake revealed before looking to the coyote-Faunus. "I've treasured this book ever since."

"I'm glad you did." Patrick smiled back.

"Well, as lovely as this conversation is," Weiss said as she stood up. "It's best we finish up."

"You sure are interested in this." Neptune chimed in. "It's almost like you see this as more of a regular task than a punishment."

"That's because it is." Weiss declared. "Plus, it will give our teams a good reputation for planning such an important event!"

"Same Weiss as always." A voice called out. "Always looking to capitalize on things."

Everyone turned, Weiss sharply, to see Boris and Kennard Nevada approach.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Weiss said slowly, before running at them with uncontrolled glee. "COUSIN BORIIIISSSS!"

She practically jumped at Boris, who caught her by wrapping his arms around her waist, smiling.

"Cousin Weiss!" He declared with a gleam in his eye as he set her down. "It's so good to see you again!"

"I just can't believe that you're here!" Weiss said in a happy tone, before turning towards Kennard. "You as well, Kennard."

"It's good to see you as well, Cousin." Kennard smiled before bowing.

"Yo, Weiss, you know these guys?" Yang asked as she and the others approached, minus Patrick and Corrin.

"Ah, my apologies," Weiss said before straightening herself out. "Everyone, these are my cousins from Atlas; Boris and Kennard Nevada."

"Both members of Team Bioshock of Atlas Academy." Boris declared proudly with a nod. "And me as its leader."

"We will be participating in the Vytal Tournament as well as the dance," Kennard added. "Hopefully, things will go smoothly."

"Well, I'll have you know that we've been hard at work with the preparations for the dance." Weiss declared proudly. "We've been working hard to make sure things are just right!"

"We've only been working with this as part of our punishment," Ruby said with a roll of her eyes before earning an elbow to the ribs from Weiss.

"Punishment?" Kennard repeated with a raised brow. "For what, Cousin?"

"We were investigating the White Fang without permission." Yang shrugged.

"Don't make it sound like that!" Weiss snapped at her blonde teammate.

"Isn't that what we did though?" Cenric asked in a blunt tone.

"The White Fang," Boris repeated bitterly. "Still trying to start some sort of race war."

"I'm afraid it will only get worse if something isn't done," Blake said in a sad tone, remembering the fight between Adam and Nirnasha, and the rally.

"Hopefully, the day will come when humans and Faunus can live in unity." Kennard declared. "Sadly, there are always those who hold racial hate."

"So long as there are racists; humans and Faunus, the world will never know peace." Turoc sighed.

"Well, we'd best get back to work!" Patrick declared, standing up. "Break times over!"

"We'll speak more later, Cousin," Boris said to Weiss. "Now, Kennard and I must head to our guest dorm."

After the Nevada Brothers left, LNTC and RWBY resumed working and were soon joined by JNPR and the rest of SSSN. At a distance, Cinder watched them work, or rather her eyes were trained on Loki as if she was studying every detail of the young man.

"It's been so long, since we last met, Loki." She said silently, as though she was reminiscing. "Soon, you will know the truth."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city, the sound of horses galloping can be heard, then three horses dashed through the forest, their riders wearing different colored cloaks. The first one, Gunnar Flanagan, wore a red cloak over a set of heavy black and red armor, had silver hair and crimson eyes, and had a cybernetic left arm, a massive scabbard on his back and he rode a red horse.

The second one, Amos Alban, wore a white cloak, wore a set of silver leather armor, and a black cowboy hat with a set of pistols holstered at his sides and rode a pale white horse. He had black hair and a pair of grey eyes.

And the third one, Lyssa Garnet, wore a black cloak, had an hourglass figure, and a set of sleeveless metal armor. She had long magenta hair that reached her hip, held up in a ponytail, and had onyx colored eyes.

The three horsemen come to a stop on a hill, gazing over the forestation and towards Beacon Academy in the distance.

"So, this is where our brother is now," Amos remarked, lighting a cigar.

"It would seem so, brother." Lyssa nodded. "It took some searching, but we've finally found him."

"Best we not keep him waiting then." Gunnar deadpanned. "He's been laying around long enough."

And so they rode forward, heading straight for the academy.

* * *

 **And finished! Took some time, but I've present you with the new chapter! Sorry for not much happening, this is simply introducing some of the new OC's I've come up with. A lot of them are based on Dynasty Warriors characters, and boy there are a lot of them! Don't worry; I'll clarify who they are in future chapters. Until then, I hope you enjoyed it! Be sure to review!**

 **Also, huge thanks to moguera for his help with coming up with the OC's and their Semblances! Please feel free to check out his stories, show him some love!**


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